History Repeats (Over and Over)
by Karkalicious769
Summary: Natsu was always by her side, in every life time. He loved her. But in every life time, she fell for that angel, Gray, who always broke her heart and afterwards she always killed herself and he held her while the light left her eyes. His father, Satan, says not to mess with a mortals fate, but Natsu has always been impatient... (NatsuxLucy) FINALLY DONE
1. Cleopatra

When he first met her, she was Cleopatra, queen of the Nile and all that the sun's rays touched. It suited her really, the high life of wealth and eternal comfort. Sometimes when he thought of her, he laughed. Cleopatra, Greek for "glory of thy father" when, as far as her father was concerned, she was dead. Not only was she rebellious and wild, but she would purposely sneak out of the palace to laugh and play and make friends with **commoners** (oh, the horror). She even taught herself how to speak, as well as read and write, in Egyptian despite the fact that their entire dynasty had refused to their entire rule. Her father was disgusted.  
>So he cut her out of the family, disowned her. Even though she knew he had already hated her because her mother died during her birth, the rejection still hurt. She cried. He wanted to kill him for doing that. Luckily, her two older twin brothers, Rouge and Sting, looked out for her and protected her so she was never lonely or sad. They would have laid down their lives, if only to see their little Cleopatra smile. They loved her, and she loved them in return. It worked. Years passed, and suddenly little Cleopatra was a full grown eighteen year old beauty. She was perfect, turning heads both male and female alike when she walked through the streets.<br>Then her father died, and she sat on a golden throne in the palace, a brother on either side, ruling in harmony.  
>It didn't last long.<br>During the war, the twins took off to help their army fight. They never returned. She grieved. He would never forget the look of disbelief on her pretty face when she heard the news and the tears that followed soon after. He held her every night for months while she mourned, slowly picking up the pieces of her broken heart and putting them back together, one by one. After that, she was cold, empty.  
>But only in public.<br>It took a while, but he slowly chipped away at her icy barrier and wormed his way back into her heart. He would brush her long black hair until it shinned while she gossiped about anything and everything she could think off. They would be sitting on her huge golden bed, talking, and he would suddenly pounce and tickle her mercilessly until tears were streaming down her face and she was begging for "mercy" and "forgiveness from all her sins". It was perfect, and they were happy. Then she married. Truthfully, she hated Loke Celestial. The marriage was for political reasons only, helpful on both sides. Still, her feelings didn't matter as she needed a heir to the throne. And though she loved her son, Caesarion, she was all too happy when Loke was assassinated. They threw a private party in her room and she even let him stay in her bed (instead of kicking him out like usual), and cuddle her to sleep that night. The forced marriage had made him realize something.  
>He, Natsu Dragneel, was hopelessly and forever in love with Cleopatra, the one girl to perfect and special to have anything less than royalty and perfection.<p>

"Natsu! Get up! Get up! Get up!" she had shouted, running into her room and slamming the door. Slowly, he sat up from his reclined position on her soft bed and yawned. "Hm? What is it?" He questioned sleepily. "The most exciting thing has happened!" she announced, twirling gracefully around her room in the purple silk dress he had gotten her for her birthday. He laughed, despite his growing since of dread.  
>"Is that so?" What happened?"<br>Her eyes lit up. "I'm in love!" In an effort to keep his facade from shattering and revealing the hidden sorrow and pain underneath, he smiled wider.

Fourteen years passed. Fourteen long, hard years were each day felt like someone was constantly stabbing him in the heart. He was beginning to think that maybe burning in Hell for all eternity wasn't so bad. Sometimes, he would walk in on her and Gray Fulbuster, "the love of her life", kissing or cuddling naked in her bed and he would briefly, just for a second, consider suicide. Then he would scold himself for even letting that idea enter his mind. He was there to protect **her**. His feelings didn't matter as long as she continued to light up his life with her breath taking smile. So he buried his feeling deep in his heart, never to surface. He was content with life, forever by her side but never touching. Then it happened. Gray committed suicide. At first, he had been so ecstatic that he had almost thrown a party. Then he saw her break down and cry. And he realized something as he held her. She had truly loved Gray. And Gray had left her, abandoned her, trampling her fragile heart on his way out. Suddenly he was furious. How dare Gray abuse her love, the single most important thing in the universe to him. How dare Gray just quit and leave behind his gorgeous wife and three beautiful children. How dare Gray have such a hold on her, even in death. He wanted to kill Gray a thousand times over.  
>But he couldn't.<br>Instead he just clenched his jaw and held the small shaking figure in his arms tighter.

She woke his up in the middle of the night. "Hey, Natsu, wake up." She hissed, shaking his sleeping figure. "Huh?" he said, sitting up. "What's wrong?" She just shook her head. "Nothing, I just wanted a witness." Now he was fully awake.  
>"A witness? To what? What are you talking about?"<br>In answer, she held up a small woven basket. It took a while in the low light, but he was able to distinguish a small sleeping snake curled up inside.  
>"What are you doing with that?" Instead of answering, she moved of the bed and sat on the floor. Carefully, she removed the snake and held it so that it was unable to bit her. In a quiet voice she said, "It's a baby asp."<br>In a flash, he was by her side, gripping her shoulders tightly. "I know your upset about Gray's death, but suicide is **not** the answer!" he said, barley managing to keep from shouting. She looked at him solemnly, sadness in her chocolate brown orbs.  
>"I just can't stand it," she explained, "I need Gray and this is the honorable thing to do." Slowly, his grip on her shoulders loosened and she slipped out. Wordlessly, she placed the snake on her chest. It slithered down the front of her white silk night down, and a few seconds later, she gasped and pulled out the snake, placing it back in the basket. Slowly, a long red stain trickled down her nightgown, growing until it reached and puddled on the floor. By then, his arms were around her and as the light left her eyes, he whispered in her ear, "I love you." He doubted she heard him, but when her body went limp and his slowly turned into stardust and disappeared, they were both smiling.<p> 


	2. The New Kid

**(I like romantic quotes, so if you have a good one, please comment.)**

**A/N: Originally, I was going to write this about the ten different lives that Lucy, Natsu and Gray went through before going to the real story about Lucy's eleventh life as Lucy Heartfilia. But because I'm so lazy and anxious to get on with the story line, I'm going to leave in my Cleopatra chapter as a preview and skip everything else. If you really want to read about all of her lives (though I don't understand why) then just ask and I will post a bonus story about it.  
>But first, an explanation.<br>About the whole 'angel' thing: In this FanFiction, every human (Lucy) has an angel (Gray) and a demon (Natsu) following them around in every life (reincarnation), protecting them and influencing their decisions. Sometimes, human's protectors can be romantically involved with him/her, though it is uncommon and **always** ends in heartbreak followed by death.  
>It is also illegal and punishable by death to change a human's fate in any way or refuse to protect them. Also, Satan is Igneel, Natsu's dad, and God is Makarov, Gray's adoptive dad. Therefore, they're both princes.<br>Remember this.  
>It's important to the story. Also, no hate please! This is the <strong>first** story I've ever let **anyone** else read and I'm very nervous!**

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><p>"<em>Let me love you. If not for the rest of your life, then for the rest of mine."<em>

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><p>Natsu groaned and flopped down heavily on his new bed. It was about two thirty in the morning and he had gotten up to get a glass of cold water. As, not more than five minutes ago, he had to watch <strong>her<strong> die again.  
>Granted, it was a dream, but a traumatic experience like that can really wipe all of the energy and sanity out of someone. Rolling over and hugging his knees tightly, Natsu stared at the wall intently, sifting through all of his memories. He thought all the little things he had done with Lucy in the last fifteen years he had known her, like holding hands and dragging her along behind him, and sneaking into her bed at night and cuddling her (she always kicked him out in the morning, but it was worth it).<br>They had met at age six at the local kindergarten and were inseparable ever since. Lucy was his human, and he wasn't ashamed to admit that this reincarnation of his love was making it difficult for him to obey the laws his father set about not interfering with fate.  
>For starters, she had a perfect personality. A good sense of humor, smart, but not nerdy, over dramatic, but calmed down and persuaded easily. Easy to fluster as well. She was so cute when she blushed. Funny too.<br>Plus, she was always wearing tight tank tops and short skirts, making sure that everyone with in a twenty foot radius knew that she had an amazing body. That made it hard for him to control his urges alone, and basically impossible to **not** kill every guy that looked at her twice, seeing as how everyone did. And when he wasn't looking at her body (he didn't do it as often as other people seemed to think) or sending death threats to her admirers (basically a full time job), he was memorizing every inch of her face. From her rosy cheeks that stood out against her flawless porcelain skin, to her huge, chocolate doe eyes. They reminded him of mirrors, reflecting her every emotion. She was a terrible liar. Smiling at the memories, and remembering that he had school tomorrow, Natsu rolled over and feel into a dreamless sleep.

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><p>"<em>If I had to choose between loving you or breathing, I would use my last breath to say "I love you"."<em>

* * *

><p>He awoke to someone shouting at him.<br>"Natsu!" the voice said, it was familiar, but Natsu was too sleepy to place it, or particularly care. "Natsu!" the voice repeated. "Get up! We're going to be late for school!"  
>Hmm, school…<br>Suddenly, Natsu shot up in bed, fully awake. He quickly checked his alarm clock, frowned, and shot a nasty look at the giggling blonde in the corner. Grimacing, he promptly turned his back to her and flopped back down, snuggling deeper into his bed, and trying to go back to sleep and avoid the early morning chill that autumn in Magnolia brought.  
>"Oh, come on Natsu!" Lucy protested. He smirked, hearing the pout in her voice. "I'm sorry for getting you up at six a.m. on a Monday, but you might as well get up now!" As a response, Natsu, very obviously and dramatically, snuggled closer into his bed, barley stopping the laugh that threatened to come flying out at the sound of Lucy stomping her foot impatiently.<br>"Natsu!" she whined. After a few minutes of silence and Natsu remaining completely still, she said, "Fine, be like that." He heard Lucy move to the door of his bedroom, and hearing the evil smirk in her voice, Natsu unconsciously shivered. "I guess I'll just have to go get Erza…"  
>In one swift movement, Natsu managed to rip all of the sheets off of his bed, toss them across the room and grab Lucy's shoulders before she could even touch the door knob.<br>"Don't do it Luce! Don't get Erza!" He pleaded, shaking her. For a second, they just wordlessly stared at each other until, finally, Lucy smiled.  
>"Wow, Natsu. You're fast, that's a new record. I guess you win, no Erza." She praised, patting his arm. Natsu just grinned, glad that their friend, Erza Scarlet, wasn't getting him out of bed. He shuddered at the memory of the last time she had to. Not fun.<br>"Now come on, Natsu." Lucy said, opening the door. "I brought over some pancakes and coffee from that café you like." Natsu's eyes lit up. "Really?! You're the best, Luce!" He ran into the kitchen and began to devour the food, while Lucy stood to the side, laughing at his childish behavior. Another ordinary Monday for Lucy, but as Natsu joined in on her laughing and the sense of dread in his stomach grew, he knew that today would be anything but.

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><p>"<em>You're pretty much my most favorite thing of all time in the history of ever."<em>

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><p>"Natsu! Lucy!" a voice laced with anger and murderous intent said from behind them. Said people froze (Along with everyone else in the classroom) and refused to look behind them, hoping that it was just their imagination. "Natsu! Lucy!" Erza repeated, growing impatient. Shakily, they both turned to look at their scary and super serious, scarlet haired friend.<br>"H-hey, Erza." Lucy stammered, giving a weak wave. Natsu, however, just stood there being useless and cowering in fear. Not that she could really blame him.  
>"Natsu, Lucy," Erza said again, her dark aura growing. "You're both late. What on earth was so important that you were late to get an education?" Lucy sweat dropped at how important school was to Erza. It was important to Lucy as well, but not murderously so.<br>"U-mm, w-we were… uhh…" Natsu began, trying to come up with a good excuse but failing miserably. "Uh, why don't y-you tell her, Luce?" He finally said, elbowing her lightly in the side.  
>Surprised for only a moment, Lucy turned and gave him the best glare she could muster, the one that promised death. Lucy had been told that her glares rivaled even Erza's, and if the way Natsu reacted was anything to go by, it was true.<br>Going back to being terrified, Lucy faced Erza again and shot a pleading glance at the broken clock behind her. The truth was this: During Natsu's breakfast, Lucy commented that Natsu ate like a pig, he denied, and they got into a full blow argument. And when Lucy brought the color of his hair into it, a pissed off Natsu grabbed a Sharpie from the counter, held her down, and proceeded to draw all over her face. And once it was over, in a desperate attempt to make Lucy calm down he washed it all off, which took a while, as it was Sharpie.  
>Sigh.<br>Not really having a good excuse, Lucy opened her mouth but, as if answering her prayers, the bell signaling the start of class rang loudly, calming the redhead instantly. She practically broke her chair with the force she sat down at her seat (middle lane, front row). Natsu and Lucy whimpered in relief and followed suit, moving to the back of the classroom and taking their seats next to each other (Very back, middle lane).  
>"Attention class!" Mirajane Stratus, their super gorgeous white haired teacher said while entering the room. The room was silent, waiting as Mira walked to the front of the room. She hardly ever made announcements, but when she did, they were always super important and exciting. After a brief moment, Mira continued, "Class, I have big news!" She paused again for suspense. "Today, we have a new student joining us!"<br>The room was dead silent.  
>No one believed her. A new student? In their dead-end town? But once it was made clear that she wasn't joking, everyone jumped out of the seats and cheered loudly. (So loudly, in fact, that the room three doors down had to cover their ears). Mira, completely unfazed, simply smiled wider and gestured for everyone to sit back down, which they did immediately, shutting their mouths just as quickly (don't judge, Mira is fucking terrifying!).<br>The white-haired teacher pointed at the door. "Okay, you can come in now!" she said.  
>The door opened, and Lucy swore that time stopped. In walked one of the hottest boys Lucy had ever seen, defiantly a 10.<br>He had flawless marble skin that made his already apparent icy blue eyes even more piercing. To contrast even more with his skin tone, was a messy mop of raven hair that gave him a bad boy edge. And, as if he was trying to make all of the girls in class drool, he wore tight blue jeans that rested low (and I mean **really** low) on his waist and a loose white button-up t-shirt that had a few buttons on the top undone to give the girls a little taste at how much he worked out.  
>Lucy certainly was impressed (and a little flushed). Mira was the only girl in the room not star struck as she continued. "Okay, class. Please give a warm welcome to our new student, Gray Fulbuster!"<br>Completely smitten with the new guy, Lucy turned to Natsu to share the discovery her new found crush (like she always did), when she saw the state he was in.  
>His normally tan skin was looking oddly pale and his entire body was shaking. He was looking down at the floor, but Lucy could still see that his eyes, wide and unblinking, were filled with an emotion she thought she'd never see associated with him.<br>Fear.

* * *

><p>"<em>For you, I was a chapter, for me, you were the entire book."<em>

* * *

><p>Mira however, oblivious to all of this, scanned the silent room, trying to locate an empty seat.<br>"Okay, Gray." She said, finally, "You can have the seat in the back, the empty one, by Natsu, the boy with the pink hair." At the mention of Natsu, Gray's smile disappeared and he scanned the crowd of students. When his eyes locked with fierce onyx ones (Natsu had recovered at the sound of his name), he blinked stupidly a few times before smiling even wider than before.  
>"Yo, Pinky." Gray said, waving casually. Natsu shot up so quickly he sent his chair flying.<br>"What did you call me, bastard?"  
>Not fazed at all (unlike the entire class, which was utterly confused), Gray, amused, repeated slowly, "Pi-n-ky."<br>And then, somehow, Natsu was across the class room, looking pretty pissed with his forehead pressed against Gray's, sparks literally flying between them (and not that way, yaoi shippers).  
>"I <strong>dare<strong> you to repeat it again, _princess_." Instead of being taken back (like a normal person), Gray pressed back, looking pissed now as well, not a trace of a smile on his face.  
>"What did you call me, <em>Pinky<em>?" A vein ticked in Natsu's forehead, and he looked about ready to punch Gray, which he probably would have done if it wasn't for…  
>"Natsu," Erza said from behind him, letting her deadly aura leak out. "You're not fighting at school, are you?"<br>Immediately terrified (even Gray, despite having no idea who this girl was), Natsu and Gray threw their arms around each other, suddenly buddies.  
>"N-no Erza, of c-course not." Natsu stammered. Erza nodded, and her dark aura vanished, making everyone in the room breathe a sigh of relief.<br>"Good, now, both of you go to your desks so that everyone may continue learning." She ordered, already sitting. With a weak nod, both boys moved shakily to the back of the room. They didn't say a word the rest of class, but the suffocating tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife.  
>Lucy, always impatient when she was curious, tuned out Mira and tried to figure out how Natsu and Gray knew each other. The suspense was killing her. It's just, she had known Natsu since he was old enough to have memories, and he had never left town before. It was <strong>impossible<strong> for them to know each other...  
>Right?<p> 


	3. GrayLu

**A/N: I would like to point out, that this story was not originally **my **idea. This story was my friend's (I'll call her **_**R**_**) idea, but **_**R**_** can't write so I published this. So, if I ever decide to tell **_**R**_** the title to this story so she can read it, she'll know I didn't take full credit. **

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><p>"<em>If I told you everything I love about you, I'd never be able to finish."<em>

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><p>"Alright, Natsu! Spill it! How do you know Gray?" Lucy demanded from behind him. Natsu let out a sting of curses under his breath. The <strong>entire <strong>class, Lucy had been giving him the evil eye with a deadly aura around her.  
>Natsu was no fool; he knew that Lucy was just trying to terrify him enough so that he would tell her how he knew Gray. And he is not ashamed to admit that he almost gave in a few times, but there was no way he could tell her that he and Gray had known each other for over 2000 years because they were both mythical creatures that rarely aged and weren't even supposed to exist. Just imagine how well <strong>that<strong> conversation would go.  
>So instead, he turned to Lucy and, with his best poker face (which was pretty damn good!), crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Sorry ma'am, that's classified."<br>Lucy was not amused. "Natsu," she began slowly, "I'm serious. Tell. Me. Now."  
>Natsu just snorted, trying to hide his terror. "Wow, Luce. Good job asking nicely."<br>Lucy glared at him, and Natsu struggled to hide the shiver that went down his spine. "Natsu," she repeated, "Tell me, or I'll go get Erza." This time, Natsu visibly flinched. But still...  
>"Nope. Still won't. Nice try, Luce." He said, giving a weak and pathetic laugh. Now Lucy was flat out confused and even more curious. What on earth could this big secret be that was important enough to risk <strong>Erza's<strong> wrath?  
>"Natsu, what's going on?" she asked. "What's important enough to risk Erza?"<br>_How about losing the one girl you've ever loved?_ Natsu thought grimly.  
>She opened her mouth to ask again when he didn't answer, but before she could, "Hey, blondie!" someone called.<br>Wondering who was yelling at her, Lucy turned and immediately blushed, forgetting about Natsu completely at the sight of Gray running towards her. Well, she knew he wasn't running towards her pacifically. After all, it was only his first day here, but he was already number one on the schools 'Top Guys You Want As Your Boyfriend' list. A lot of girls better than her wanted him. Still, it was nice to think he **was** running towards her. Then, despite Lucy's thoughts, he stopped, out of breath, in front of her.  
>"U-umm, h-hi?" Lucy said, confused and hating the stutter in her voice. Gray looked up at her, grinning. Her heart beat quickened.<br>"Hi. Lucy, right?" he asked. Still shocked and blushing madly, Lucy nodded. "Well, Lucy," He began, "I'm new here and I could really use someone to show me around. Are you busy right now? 'Cause I was kind of hoping that you could give me the official tour." Lucy was practically bursting with excitement. She had absolutely **no** plans today (normally, she would be depressed by this fact, but right now she was too happy to care).  
>"I'd love to show you around, actually." Lucy said casually.<br>Gray's face lit up. "Really?" His smile dropped. "Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother."  
>"No, no, no. It's not a problem, really, I'm sure." Lucy explained quickly, smiling.<br>"Well, as long as you're sure." Gray agreed. And with that, he offered his arm to her and said, "Now, shall we proceed, Lady Lucy?" in an unbearably fake British accent. Still, Lucy giggled, accepting his arm.  
><em>Cute and funny.<em> She thought. And with that, she began what was currently the best day of her life but would someday it the future, bring only nightmares.  
>But, maybe, just maybe, if she had bothered to look behind her, she would have noticed that Natsu was gone.<br>And that the place he had been standing on the concrete sidewalk was completely melted.

* * *

><p>"<em>I promise you. No one will ever love you like I do."<em>

* * *

><p>It had been two months. Two very long and painful months for Natsu. It was December now. Christmas Eve in fact, the first Christmas Eve when Natsu wouldn't cuddle Lucy to sleep. Gray would do that for him.<br>Thinking of Gray, Natsu frowned in distaste.  
>Ever since Gray had asked Lucy to give him that tour, they had been hanging out more and more until one day, they accidentally kissed and became a couple. That was a month and a half ago. Natsu hadn't actually 'hung out' with Lucy since then. Sure, sometimes she would wake him up before school, but only once a week, if that. She used to do it every day. He hated Gray for doing that. Taking Lucy away from him in every lifetime, first with romance, and then with death. It was like he was destined to lose.<br>With a heavy sigh, Natsu pulled himself out of bed and turned off his alarm clock, barley managing to keep the damned annoying thing in one piece. He yawned loudly and took an extra-long shower. Natsu really didn't want to go to school. He could feel it. Today was the day. And he was dreading it.  
>"Natsu?" came a voice, jarring him from his thoughts. Actually, that voice was very familiar…<br>"Lucy?" he shouted over the roar of the shower.  
>"Yeah, it's me," Lucy responded, "Are you still in the shower?" Without a word, Natsu hopped out of the shower, pulled his clothes on (less than two minutes, new record), and opened the door to see Lucy standing there, leaning against the wall right outside the door. She smiled at him and gestured towards the kitchen.<br>"You coming slow poke?" she teased. "I brought food." And that was how Natsu spent his Friday morning, laughing and talking with Lucy and hoping maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't die tonight and that they could do this on Saturday.

* * *

><p>"<em>Not a night goes by that you're not in my dreams."<em>

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><p>"Natsu, Lucy." Erza greeted. "Nice to see you two here early for once." Everyone in hearing range sweat dropped. Natsu and Lucy had run in out of breath one minute before the bell rang. How could that <strong>possibly<strong> be considered early? No one corrected her though. Erza was **never** corrected. Not unless you had a death wish.  
>Gray was leaning on the wall next to the door, and Lucy's eyes lit up when she saw him, running up to give him a hug, ignoring all of the glares she received because of it as, she was used to it by now. When Natsu saw him, however, his body went ridged and his scowl hardened to a full blow glare. Seeing this, Gray laughed lightly.<br>"Hmm? What's so funny, Gray?" Asked Lucy, looking up from her favorite resting spot on his chest to stare at him with wide eyed innocence. Gray smiled.  
>"It's nothing." He said dismissively, caressing her soft golden locks and gently placing her head back on his chest. Lucy hummed softly in response. They stayed like that until the bell rang, a smile never abandoning Gray's face at the sight how tense Natsu was. But when no one was looking, Gray let the tiring smile drop as he thought about what was supposed to happen tonight.<br>He was so caught up in his thoughts and worrying, that he didn't notice when the bell signaling the end of the day rang and Lucy kissed him on the cheek, promising to see him tonight. He also didn't see Natsu until he had placed a burning hand on Gray's shoulder, eyes covered with his bangs. Gray fought to keep his face void of emotion but, truthfully, that look terrified him.  
>Natsu hadn't looked like that for thousands of years. The last time had been when the pink haired demon had finally managed to track down the bastard that had killed Lisanna, Natsu's childhood friend (and possible fiancée, but no one had any solid evidence). Once Natsu had finished with the poor guy (he thought he could fight a pissed off Natsu surrounded by fire, ha!), you couldn't tell the bones from a pile of guts. Not pretty. The grip on Gray's shoulder tightened and he bit down on his lip to keep from crying out.<br>"Gray," Natsu began in a threatening tone that sent shivers down his spine. "May I speak to you in private for a moment?"  
>Gray thought about saying no, but based on the deadly 50-foot aura surrounding Natsu and the burning sensation on his shoulder, it wasn't really a question. And so, deciding to live another day, Gray wordlessly got up and allowed Natsu, who appeared to have gotten worse, to steer him towards a quiet and private place to talk.<br>They ended up behind the school. The worst part, too. The part where the grass refuses to turn green, no matter how much you water it, the part littered with broken beer bottles and cigarette stumps. Not even the trouble makers of the school came back here anymore.  
>"So," Gray began, leaning against the wall and trying to keep his voice flat. "What do you want to talk about?"<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>You… the answer I would always give if somebody asked me what I was thinking about."<em>

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><p>Lucy sighed heavily. She was supposed to have met up with her female friends for some Christmas Eve girl time, but Erza, Juvia, Levy, and Cana all canceled on her. What a coincidence that they all canceled on her at the <strong>exact same time<strong>.  
>Not.<br>They were totally planning something, and the suspense was killing her! But since she had no idea where they were and nothing better to do, she decided to go bother Gray. And, as luck would have it, there was Gray! She moved closer to call out, but then she noticed Natsu and instantly backed up a few feet. Not at the sight of Natsu (he was her friend!), but at the aura of death and pure anger and frustration that was leaking out of him. Still, Lucy was curious and she had never seen Natsu so utterly pissed. It appeared to be about Gray, and she wanted to know what they were doing.  
>And so, Lucy used her sneaky ninja skills (learned from Natsu), to follow them to a shaded section of the school that she had never seen before. She was glad, too! The place was filthy!<br>Finally, they stopped, just as Lucy was about to burst.  
>"So," Gray started, leaning against a wall, "What do you want to talk about?"<br>Natsu looked furious. "You know damn good and well what I want to talk about." He hissed.  
>Gray straitened his posture. "You mean her."<br>"Yeah," Natsu spat, "_her_." Gray rubbed the back of his neck.  
>"Look, Natsu, we've been over this before," he explained, "It <em>has<em> to happen, or we could be killed."  
>Now Lucy was confused. <em>Killed?<br>_"Yes, Gray," he said venomously. "I am well aware of _that_ fact. But I don't care."  
>"Natsu, you know-" Gray began, but he was cut off.<br>"This is the last time for her." Despite Natsu's words confusing Lucy, Gray seemed to understand immediately, all the color draining from his face as his body went ridged. He looked at the ground.  
>"You mean that, if she dies tonight, she won't…" Gray broke off, not able to finish. Natsu nodded, appearing unfazed, but if you looked closely, you could see him shaking.<br>"Yes, Gray," he said, confirming the raven haired teen's thoughts. "If she dies tonight, we'll go home forever and no one will ever see her alive again, not in this world or the next."


	4. Character Death(s)?

**H. : You are a freaking ****genius****! I love you! You cured my writers block! Thank You! *hugs you***

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><p>"<em>Life's most beautiful things are not seen with the eyes, but felt with the heart." <em>

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><p><em>'No one will ever see her alive again…'<em>

'_Never… alive again…'_

Natsu's voice echoed in Lucy's head as she numbly made her way home. She had been hoping that Natsu's and Gray's talk would make since if she thought about it, but so far, it only seemed to be worsening the confusion.  
>Blankly, Lucy unlocked her door and moved to her bedroom. Maybe if she slept on it, things would make since. So, she prepared for bed, despite the fact that it was only about 4:30.<br>But an hour later, Lucy was sitting on her bed, wide awake and hugging her knees so tightly that she knew she would have bruises in the morning. Brushing her soaked hair out of her face, Lucy gave a defeated sigh and fell back onto her bed.  
>An hour of thinking, and she still hadn't figured out, 1. Who Natsu was talking about, 2. Why they would both be killed if this 'her' was left alive and, 3. Where Natsu's and Gray's home was. Last time Lucy checked, they both lived alone in fairly large apartments. It hurt that they both knew everything about her, but she didn't even seem to know where they lived!<br>Lucy probably would have spent the rest of the day like that, wallowing miserably on the bed without a second thought, if it hadn't been for the soft knock on her apartment door. Sighing loudly and mumbling a string of curses under her breath, Lucy forced herself out of bed to answer the door, as the repetitive knocking was annoying her. "What is it?" she asked angrily, swinging the door open. Lucy's angry scowl fell as she took in a very serious looking Gray standing in the entry way. Lucy stepped aside so he could enter, but he merely shook his head. He had to do something, and it wouldn't be fun.

* * *

><p><em>~Flashback~<em>

_After hearing Natsu's news about Lucy's fate, Gray fell to the ground, not even noticing the broken glass shards digging into his knees and palms. Every human would fade from existence at some point, but to think that it was happening to Lucy so quickly. It was unnatural.  
>Grabbing on tightly to his courage, Gray looked up at Natsu's towering figure above him.<br>"How?" He whispered. A normal person wouldn't have been able to hear the faint question or even understand what he was talking about, but Natsu wasn't normal.  
>Said pinkette buried his face in his scarf and looked away before answering. "I asked Igneel."<em>

_~End Flashback~_

* * *

><p>"<em>When we first met, I had no idea you would be so important to me."<em>

* * *

><p>Gray shook his head at Lucy's welcoming gesture. He didn't want to be here for what was to happen next. Suddenly, all of Gray's confidence was thrown out the window.<br>How was he supposed to do this to Lucy? He loved her, but only as a little sister and found it impossible to break her heart. She would hate him. Gray didn't want that.  
>'But,' his mind reasoned, 'at least she'll be safe and happy.'<br>So, thinking of this fact and the angry demon waiting downstairs, Gray put on his poker face and did it.  
>"I'm breaking up with you."<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>When two people are meant for each other, no time is too long, no distance is too far, and nothing can ever tear them apart." <em>

* * *

><p>After Gray had broken up with her, Lucy numbly slammed the door in his face and stumbled into the kitchen. Heart break on top of complete confusion wasn't good for one's mental state.<br>Not able to hold back the tears, Lucy collapsed on her knees in the middle of the kitchen. The sobs wracking her body were too strong to continue walking. Already, there was a good sized puddle under her. Tears flowed heavily, soaking her pretty purple nightgown that Natsu had gotten her for her birthday. At the thought of Natsu, Lucy cried harder.  
>He was always there for her, but she needed him now more than ever. It was then that she realized with a start how awful she had been to him these last few months. And he never even said a word about it, even though it must have been killing him. She was a horrible friend, a horrible person who didn't deserve someone like Natsu in her life. She didn't even deserve to live.<br>And then she saw it. The rack of knifes someone had given her for her birthday. She couldn't for the life of her, remember who though. All the more reason to die. Lucy reached out a pale, shaky hand and closed her left fist around the hilt of the knife.  
>Smiling sadistically to herself, Lucy brought the knife closer to her right arm and dragged it down, from her elbow to her wrist in a circular pattern that wrapped around her arm. Damn, it was sharp! But it made her feel so good to be cutting out herself like that, it felt so good to watch to blood dripping from her arm mix with the tears on the floor. She was washing all the sins out of her body. But now was no time for games. Now was the time of redemption.<br>Maybe she would go to Heaven, but she hoped not. Burning for all eternity in Hell seemed like a good chose at the moment.  
>With that thought in mind, Lucy brought the tip of the knife to her chest.<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Without you I'm nothing, with you I'm something, and together we're everything." <em>

* * *

><p>After his little talk with Gray, the bastard had run off, completely disappearing for a solid hour before suddenly showing up again and dragging Natsu all the way to Lucy's apartment, where he told Natsu to wait outside and then took the elevator up to talk to Lucy. Using his advanced hearing, Natsu tried to listen to what they were saying, but wasn't able to. So, impatiently, he stood there, waiting for Gray to come back down.<br>When the raven haired angel finally did come back down, Natsu was on him in an instant. "Alright, Gray. Tell me what you said!" He demanded.  
>Gray looked at the ground and said nothing for a long while. Then, right as Natsu was getting fed up with the silence, Gray spoke. "I broke up with her."<br>Natsu was taken back at this. How could Gray do that? Even after understanding what would happen to her, he had condemned Lucy to nothingness.

* * *

><p><em>~Flashback~<em>

_It happened during the middle of Lucy's fifth life. He couldn't remember at all __who she had been, but he did remember that she had once again married Gray and Natsu was tired of seeing her kissing someone besides him. That's why he did it. He opened a portal to Hell in his bedroom. Natsu had something to discuss with his father._

_So, when Natsu reached the large, commanding red brick palace that he had memorized every inch of as a kid, he didn't even blink. He merely walked straight into the throne room, letting the servants' open doors for him before getting out of sight.  
>So, when Natsu swung the heavy golden doors open with enough force to throw a 50 ton block of cinder a good running distance, Igneel was a bit taken back. Never before had his only son emitted such a dark and commanding aura. He was proud.<br>Smiling, Igneel slapped his son on the back and took a good look at him before moving on to why he was even here. "So my son," Igneel began, moving to sit on his throne. "What brings you to my humble abode?"  
>Natsu rolled his eyes. "I came here to discuss the fate of my human." Startled at the unusual request, Igneel took a moment to respond. "Yes, what about it?" he questioned, gesturing to a nearby servant to bring him a glass of wine. Taking a silent sip, Igneel watched as Natsu struggled to find the right words.<br>Finally, Natsu just sighed in defeat and said, "I wish to change it."  
>As a response, Igneel did a classic spit take and wiped his mouth, coughing loudly. Once the coughing subsided, he looked down at his son with a bewildered expression. "What?!"<br>Natsu didn't back down. "Dad, I love her. I want to be with her. Can you change her fate to make that happen?"  
>Silence.<br>Then, after a few moments, Igneel sighed and grabbed Natsu's arm, pulling him towards a small door at the base of the throne, the one door which Natsu was never allowed to enter._

_~End Flashback~_

* * *

><p>"<em>In you, I've found the love of my life and my closest, truest friend."<em>

* * *

><p>Fuming, Natsu raised a fist to punch Gray, but before he could, Gray caught on fire. Natsu stumbled, taken back. He didn't do that, so who did? Gray just smiled, not even fazed by the flames.<br>"You know Natsu," Gray began, looking up at the sky, "I told Gramps that I didn't want to go through with what fate had planned for Lucy." Natsu's jaw dropped. The flames on Gray grew hotter, and he winced, but continued. "He said that if I did, I would have to answer to Satan," Gray's body began to melt. "Looks like he was right." Gray fell to the ground with a cry. And, despite the pain, he managed to look up out Natsu. "Save her."  
>And then Gray was gone and Natsu was already halfway up the steps.<p>

* * *

><p><em>~Continue Flashback~<em>

_Igneel reached into his shirt and pulled out a small, silver key on a string. Wordlessly, he ripped it of his neck and shoved the key in to the lock, opening the small door to reveal a narrow, dimly lit hallway. Natsu followed Igneel in clumsily, jumping a little when the door slammed shut behind him.  
>"Where are we going?" Natsu asked impatiently about 30 seconds into the walk. Igneel rolled his eyes and ignored his son.<br>Eventually, the hallway widened out and emptied into a large, and ornately decorated circular room. The room was completely bare, save the black marble pedestal in the middle of the space. As the two approached it, Natsu saw that it was holding an impossibly large old book on it.  
>Igneel, not even caring that he had an audience, opened the book and began to flip through the pages, which appeared to be alphabetized. Finally, he placed his finger on a page, stopping the insanely fast flipping pages. Natsu peered at the page over Igneel's shoulder and his breath caught in his throat.<br>Not even caring that it was his father and the most powerful creature in existence, Natsu shoved Igneel out of the way and began to read.  
>The page had been titled <em>_**Lucy Heartfilia**__ (the book uses the last name a person is known by) and, though Natsu had never known anyone with that name, he had felt a strong urge to read it.  
>His eyes widened. It was becoming painfully obvious that this Lucy person was his human. Natsu read about her with starving eyes, but hesitated flipping the page to read about her eleventh life. Still, Natsu wasn't one to back down from a <em>_**book**__, so he flipped the page. What he saw made his heart stop.  
>The page was completely blank.<br>Igneel moved closer to Natsu, who looked up at his father in search of an explanation. Igneel looked fondly at the page as he answered, "It's because she gets to write it herself." _

_~End Flashback~_

* * *

><p>"<em>I used to think that love wasn't worth fighting for, but when I saw you with him, I was ready for war."<em>

* * *

><p>Panicking, Natsu raced up the stairs, desperately trying to get there before it was too late. He was moving so quickly, that he almost missed Lucy's door completely. Skidding to a stop and not caring about the consequences, he kicked the door in, shocked at what he saw. Flames were licking up the walls, causing the cheap white wall paper that had been there for as long as he could remember start to curl up and peel.<br>Seeing as he was fire proof, Natsu ran straight through the flames, understanding immediately what was happening.  
>He found her on the floor in the kitchen, surrounded by fire and blood and tears and holding a knife tightly, pressing it against her chest, a little drop of blood already forming where she pressed the knife.<br>He had arrived just in time.  
>The only sound was the roar of the flames, but the echo the knife made as it hit the tile floor was deafening. Natsu, however, didn't even notice those things but for a brief moment. His attention was on the blondes eyes. Those smiling chocolate mirrors he was so in love with were gone. In their place were vicious, cold husks, completely black, that no longer resembled anything remotely human or Lucy. Even her sent was different. Instead of vanilla and cherry blossoms, Lucy reeked of flames and death.<br>"Lucy," he managed to force out, "what happened?" Then the silence ended. Lucy's eyes shifted until they were familiar again. Filled with watery sorrow, but familiar. And the flames disappeared as well, returning her vanilla scent almost instantly.  
>"N-Natsu," Lucy cried, not seeming to notice or care that her self-inflicted wounds were gone. She sounded broken and made Natsu feel the same way. Silently, Natsu gathered her in his arms, holding her on his lap tenderly and stroking her hair while she let it all out. She gripped his soaked shirt tightly to hold still as powerful sobs wracked her body. "Shh," Natsu whispered against her head. "It will be okay." He promised.<br>Lucy shook her head. "No!" she cried. "No, it will never be okay! Not even in a million-"  
>Natsu was finally fed up with losing and snapped, stopping Lucy in mid rant with a soft, tender kiss on the lips. It probably wasn't very smart to kiss a girl who had just had her heart broken, but Natsu had never been known for his intelligence.<br>Still, he was pleasantly surprised when, instead of killing him, Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck and began kissing back harshly with a desperate hunger.  
>Natsu wasn't complaining as he smirked into the kiss and began his assault, licking her bottom lip slowly, asking, no, <em>begging<em>, for entrance. Lucy hummed and opened her mouth widely, allowing him to explore every inch of her hot, moist cavern, moaning when she sucked on his tongue lightly.  
>Finally, the pair had to separate, not wanting to die from lack of oxygen. Natsu laughed at the breathless look on Lucy's face and pressed his forehead against hers.<br>"Luce?"  
>"Hmm?"<br>"I love you, I've loved you for longer than you can imagine."  
>Lucy smiled, kissing him softly again. "I love you too, Natsu."<br>Then, suddenly, the kitchen faded, and there was a moment of absolute stillness before the two were falling through mid-air, screaming their heads off. Looking down, through Lucy's blonde hair, which was being whipped everywhere by the wind, Natsu noticed the ground approaching at an alarming rate. If they collided in this position, they would both certainly die.  
>Twisting sideways in the air, Natsu pressed Lucy into his chest and faced away from the ground, looking straight up at the way they came. He didn't even feel when they hit the ground.<p> 


	5. Welcome to Hell

**A/N: Sorry for not updating as soon as usual, and I apologize for the short chapter. I was lazy and wasn't really feeling like writing. Anyway, anyone read Homestuck? If you do than your awesome! Next chapter will be better, so enjoy this one.**

* * *

><p><em>"I love you, dear. I'll love you 'till China and Africa meet and the river jumps over the mountain and the salmon sing in the street."<em>

* * *

><p>When Natsu regained consciousness for the first time, he immediately wished he hadn't. His entire body was in such immense pain that it hurt to think. Briefly, he wondered what had happened to him, but that was thinking, and it just worsened the pain. He was distantly aware of being in a bed and someone holding his hand tightly, but those facts didn't matter to him as he let his mind drift back into the comforting darkness of sleep.<br>When Natsu regained consciousness for a second time, the pain had lessened, but was still there, making his entire body fell like it was pulsing.  
>"Natsu, can you open your eyes?" Came a voice. It wasn't familiar in the least, but it sounded so gentle and motherly and the thought of disappointing the voice when it was obviously excited, killed him inside. So, gathering what little was left of his strength, Natsu managed to crack one eye open but instantly shut it when the bright lit made it feel as if his eye was on fire.<br>"Oops," said the voice with an apologetic tone laced with humor. "Here, let me put the lights out." Natsu had felt that the brightness in the room had dimmed, but refused to try again.  
>"Natsu, you still awake?" The voice tried, but Natsu was too deep in sleep to hear.<br>When Natsu regained consciousness for a third time, the pain was nearly completely gone, existing only as a faint memory. So, despite the fact that there was no motherly voice asking him to do so, he opened his eyes anyway and without hesitation. Blinking, Natsu took in his surroundings.  
>He was lying in a semi reclined position on bone white bed supported by an iron frame. The room it's self was plain marble, quite unattractive without any other colors to make it stand out.<br>Seeing as how the white was agitating his eyes, Natsu look to the only non-white thing in the room, a pretty blonde girl. She was sleeping from the looks of things. Her breathing was low and even and her delicate black eyelashes were resting cutely against her rosy porcelain cheeks. Natsu smiled, admiring the strange girl's beauty. Then he looked down and noticed that her small pale hand was gripping his so tightly that it seemed they would both die if the hands were ever separated.  
>Laughing lightly to himself, Natsu placed his free hand on top of the girls head and twisted her blonde strands through his fingers, careful not to pull. Something about this action was familiar, and it annoyed Natsu that he couldn't remember why.<br>Natsu was quickly jarred out of his thoughts by the sound of the door bursting open. He expected the blonde to snap awake, but he sweat-dropped when she merely mumbled something and shifted slightly in her sleep.  
>Still playing with her hair, Natsu looked towards the sound to see what had caused it. He was met with the sight of his father and mother both looking a little breathless and shocked with a short women dressed as a nurse by their side.<br>Before Natsu could ask what he was doing in the room he now recognized as the palace infirmary, his mother had successfully cut of his ability to breathe with a choking hug.  
>"I'm so happy you're awake." She muttered affectionately against his head. Luckily, before he could lose consciousness again, she was yanked away from him with a sharp pull, courtesy of Igneel.<br>"Calm down, Grandeene!" Igneel scolded. "You're going to kill the poor boy that way!" The two began to bicker loudly, but Natsu didn't notice as his attention was now on the blonde who was staring at him with wide, happy eyes.  
><em>They're a lot like mirrors. <em>Natsu thought. _Her emotions are just so easy to read through those eyes._  
>Her eyes began to fill with tears, and Natsu mentally cursed. His mother would <em>obliterate<em> him if she found out he made a girl cry!  
>The girl wiped her eyes and, so quickly Natsu didn't even see it, managed to wrap her arms around his neck and began flat out bawling into his chest.<br>"N-Natsu," she sobbed, "I thought you'd never wake up!" Natsu relaxed and began to rub her back soothingly. "There, there." He comforted. "It's okay now, whoever you are."  
>Shit. Shouldn't have said that.<br>The girl's tears automatically stopped and she looked up at him in disbelief.  
>The room was dead silent.<br>"What are you talking about?" The girl said in a shaky voice, pulling away from him. "I'm Lucy; don't you remember who I am?"  
>There was a long pause before a response was heard.<br>"Am I supposed to?"

* * *

><p>"<em>One day, we'll never have to say goodbye, just good night." <em>

* * *

><p>Lucy was utterly confused. When she had woken up, the only thing she felt was a strong urge to open her eyes.<br>So she did.  
>Her surroundings didn't register to her mind at first; Lucy was too busy trying to remember what had happened to land her in an infirmary. As far as Lucy could tell, she was in perfect condition.<br>Then she heard someone let out a long, pain filled groan. Worried about this stranger, Lucy stood up and walked to the only other occupied bed in the room. Tentatively, she reached out a hand and slowly pulled back the curtain that separated the two beds.  
>At first, she was confused as to why Natsu was there, but then the answer hit her so suddenly that she had to sit down.<br>She remembered now.  
>Natsu had kissed her, and she had kissed him. Then everything was a blank, only the sensation of falling after that. Something really bad must have happened to put him in here with such serious injuries.<br>"He'll be fine." Said a voice from the door way.  
>Startled, Lucy looked up to see a friendly looking woman with long blue hair that hung just above her waist line. She wore a plain white t-shirt a couple sizes too big and old sweat pants. She was beautiful, even without makeup and dressed in lazy attire.<br>"He'll be fine," the woman repeated, moving to sit on the edge of the bed, "He's too stubborn to die, and heals very quickly as well." The woman spoke with such grace and high class that Lucy was starting to feel self-conscious. In order to disguise that, Lucy gave the woman a quizzical look, and she laughed. "I'm so sorry," she stuck out her hand to Lucy, "My name is Grandeene," Lucy shook Grandeene's hand. "And I'm Natsu's mother."  
>At first, Lucy didn't register what an important statement that was and proceeded to talk with Grandeene, as if in a trance. Then, during an awkward pause, Lucy laughed weakly, making the atmosphere even more awkward.<br>"So," Lucy cleared her throat, "You said you're Natsu's mom? I thought his parents died years ago and a family friend raised him. " Grandeene only smiled, petting Natsu's hair with a motherly atmosphere. "Well, that whole thing is a bit complicated, so I'll let Natsu tell you, just know that both me and his father are very much alive." Lucy wanted to demand more information, but she let it slide. Grandeene was so nice about everything; it would be a shame to corrupt her hospitality.  
>"So, what happened anyway?" Lucy asked. Grandeene sighed. "Again, I'll let Natsu explain everything, but basically, you were both falling and Natsu completely shielded your body with his. That's why you're physically uninjured."<br>Lucy gasped, eyes brimming with tears. He did so much for her. How will she ever be able to repay him?  
>The next few weeks were a bit of a blur to Lucy. She was too stressed and too busy feeling guilty to count the days, and only ate when the nurse brought her food. Occasionally, Grandeene and Igneel (who she recently discovered was Natsu's dad) would visit and talk with her.<br>Lucy enjoyed their company.  
>They were both very nice and easy to talk to.<br>Natsu had stirred a few times, but never obvious enough for anyone to notice before he was asleep again. Lucy was out of her mind worrying, and she wanted to cry with relief when she awoke from her nap to see Natsu sitting up, fully awake and smiling down at her. At first, she thought it was a dream, but his arms around her felt to good and too real for it to be a dream.  
>That realization made the sound of her entire world shattering that much louder when he said he didn't remember her.<br>Distantly, she heard Grandeene say something about Lucy being 'his human', and Natsu saying that he didn't have a human, but Lucy was too focused on **not** breaking down and flat out bawling to notice.  
>Natsu.<br>Had.  
>Fucking.<br>_**Amnesia.  
><strong>_That's when reality sunk in and the dams broke.

* * *

><p>"<em>I need many things to keep me alive, but I only need you to make my life worth living."<em>

* * *

><p><em>This situation was mind-blowing<em>. At least, that was Natsu's first thought when his parents told him he had amnesia. It was a lot to take in. His last memory was of his father summoning him to the throne room for 'a life changing announcement'. Then after that, nada, zip, zilch, nothing.  
>His mother kept gesturing wildly to the blonde girl, saying that her name was Lucy and she was his human.<br>Then Natsu got mad. Did his mother honestly think that he would ever forget someone like her? So, he responded by shouting, rather loudly, that he didn't have a human.  
>They were both equally stubborn, so they probably would have argued for hours if it hadn't been for Lucy.<br>She burst out crying with absolutely no warning, making everyone fell very uncomfortable. But, somehow, Natsu felt that this situation was familiar. So, not hesitating, he stood up and walked over to her position on the floor. Pausing slightly this time, Natsu bent down and wrapped his arms around her tightly, allowing her tears to soak his shirt.  
>"Shhh," he whispered against her head, "It will be okay. So please don't cry, Luce." For a second, it seemed as if she was done, before crying even harder than before. Panicking, Natsu petted her hair comfortingly. "What's wrong, Luce?" he asked, failing to keep the worry out of his voice.<br>Lucy wrapped her thin arms around his waist and buried deeper into his chest. The answer came out muffled.  
>"You always comfort me like this."<br>Natsu chuckled, wrapping both arms around her teeny waist. Behind him, he heard the door open and someone else enter then exit the room quickly, but Natsu couldn't care less.  
>"It's okay," he repeated softly to Lucy. "Amnesia is only temporary, remember? Just give it time." Lucy nodded briefly against his chest as a response, the tears slowing. Then Igneel ruined the moment by clearing his throat behind the two. Natsu rolled his eyes and ignored him. "Unfortunately," He started, "we don't have <em>time<em>." Lucy tears stopped completely as she turned with Natsu to stare at Igneel.  
>Natsu coughed awkwardly.<br>"Uh, what do you mean, dad?" It was then that the two noticed the paper that Igneel was gripping like a lifeline. _The person earlier must have been a page_, Natsu realized with a start. But what could the paper possibly say that put him in such a state. Suddenly, he realized that Grandeene was gone. "Say, dad," Natsu tried, "where did mom go?" Igneel shook his head.  
>"She merely needed some rest and wanted to give us some privacy."<br>Lucy raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?" she asked.  
>Igneel scratched his head, trying to come up with an ingenious way of staling. He was about to give up and tell the truth, when an idea struck him. Smiling, Igneel said, "Hey, Lucy! Did you know that Natsu's a prince?"<br>There was a pause.  
>Then, "What?!" Lucy screamed, jumping straight out of Natsu's arms.<br>She huddled in a corner, starring back and forth at Natsu and Igneel for a long time before finally glaring at Igneel and crawling back into Natsu's embrace.  
>"Nice try, <em>Your Highness<em>," Lucy said sarcastically, "Now tell us the real news."  
>Igneel finally gave up, and, running a hand threw his red hair, told them.<br>"The Council has put Natsu on trial for interfering with fate." Seeing that the kids didn't understand the gravity of the situation, he continued, "If found not guilty, all charges will be dropped. But," Igneel paused for effect, "if found guilty, all of Lucy's memories will be erased, she will be sent home, and Natsu will be executed, prince or not."

Fuck.


	6. The Trial

**A/N: Okay, so, I really have no idea how official trials go, so bear with me. Also, I had no idea where I was going with that last chapter, but my friend, **_**R**_**, accidently gave me the perfect idea for what to do. It will make some of the intense viewers scream, pull out all their hair, and then write me a severely angry letter, demanding the next update. Others will merely say "Meh", and continue on with your lives. Also, sorry this is so late. My internet broke, so I had to wait for my mom to come back from her four day business trip to fix it. But in the meantime, I have plenty of time to work on new stories, so please check my profile in a few days for a new story! Enjoy the story!**

* * *

><p>"<em>My thoughts are free to go anywhere, but it's surprising how often they drift in your direction."<em>

* * *

><p>She was freaking out. Lucy's life wasn't in danger, but Natsu's was. And the worst part? The trial started <span>immediately<span> after they were given the news. Five guards entered the infirmary and tore Natsu and Lucy apart, quickly putting shackles on their wrists and ankles. Two guards, male and female, ushered Lucy out into the hall, forcing her down the left wing.  
>Despite being told not to, Lucy spared a glance behind her. She was Natsu being escorted by two male guards and one female down the opposite direction. He was looking back at her as well. For a brief second, their eyes met. There were both filled with fear. Except, Natsu's eyes contained another emotion that Lucy couldn't place, but it reminded her quite a bit of fire. If she was sure of one thing however, it was that the trial wouldn't end well.<p>

About an hour later, all of the last minute preparations had been completed and the trial was ready to begin. Natsu and Lucy were to enter the courtroom separately, but sit at the same table, not touching of course.  
>Lucy kept her eyes on the floor during the entire shameful walk to her seat. She could hear the hateful whispers coming from the crowd.<br>"What a pathetic human, I've seen dogs better than her." Said one woman.  
>"They should just leave her in jail to rot." Came a male voice.<br>"How did the prince fall for her?" Remarked another woman, "She's hideous!"  
>When she did finally reach her seat, Lucy let the guards remove her restraints before immediately sliding down as low as possible in her seat, holding back tears. It seemed silly to let complete strangers get to her, but she was sensitive and the hurtful comments just wouldn't stop. Then the doors opened again. Everyone was silent, not wanting to say anything in front of their prince, despite the fact that his movements were restricted and he was on trial for treason.<br>Lucy turned to stare at Natsu in awe. He walked with his back strait and his chin up, leaking perfection and self-confidence, everything Lucy wished she could have. Natsu didn't look at the crowd. In fact, Lucy was positive that he didn't even notice them. His vision was focused completely on the spot in front of him, or in this case, Lucy.  
>Her poster subconsciously straightened when he approached her, letting the breath out of her lungs when Natsu sat down, not even looking at her as the guards removed his restraints, but as soon as they turned, Lucy noticed that the corners of his mouth pulled up into a barely visible smile.<br>Then the moment was ruined by someone blowing a horn rather loudly.  
>Looking towards the sound, Lucy noticed a short, bald man in a long blue robe standing at attention.<br>"All rise for the honorable Judge Duvall!"  
>Everybody in the room stood (except Natsu and Lucy) and watched as a tall man wearing a plain black robe walked into the room. His hair was long and a delicate shade of silver which was tied into a severe braid that touched the floor, trailing along behind the man. He reeked of power and self-importance. Already, Lucy had the feeling that he was more than willing to find them both guilty.<br>When Duvall finally reached the golden podium, he gestured for everyone to sit down before doing so himself.  
>"Attention!" he said in a commanding voice that made Lucy sit up straighter. "We have all gathered her today to witness the trial of Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel, grandson of Satan and Prince of Hell, and his human, Lucy Heartfilia, the daughter of Jude Heartfilia and heiress to her family fortune." The man paused, allowing people to process that information.<br>Lucy was stunned. Firstly; how did this strange man know her name, and secondly; Natsu was really a prince?! And he was really related to Satan?!  
>(Lucy was not ashamed to admit that she nearly fainted and fell out of her chair. But, strangely, she wasn't afraid of Natsu. She was even more attracted to him than before, actually.)<br>Lucy was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost missed what happened next.  
>"Now, Mr. Dragneel," Duvall began, "do you wish to plead guilty or non-guilty?" Slowly, Natsu stood up. He looked up at Duvall with such intensity, that even the spectators sitting in the back of the room winced. If looks could kill, then the entire room would be filled with boiling piles of goop.<br>"I plead guilty." Natsu said with a serious expression. The entire room gasped. Even Duvall, who had opened his mouth as if to say something snotty, closed it and looked at Natsu in surprise.  
>"Very well," he said, recovering quickly, "But may I inquire as to why?"<br>Lucy swallowed. Natsu still had amnesia and hadn't conversed with anyone at all since they had been removed from the infirmary. How was he going to get out of this situation?  
>Natsu didn't hesitate the answer. "Because I'm guilty and I should be punished for my crimes against the kingdom." Lucy looked up at Natsu, mouth agape (as well as Duvall) as Natsu continued. "Yes, I am guilty. But," his gaze briefly flickered to Lucy. "She is innocent. She never loved me, and therefore never broke any laws." The room gasped.<br>Duvall looked angrily down at Natsu, gesturing wildly to Lucy. "So, you wish to lie to my face in order to protect this pathetic human winch?"  
>Natsu's jaw clinched, but he did not say anything about the insult; for fear that it would blow his cover. "No, I am not lying. I merely do not want the innocent killed when I am the only one who made a mistake."<br>Lucy felt tears appear in her eyes. Was it a mistake for him to have loved her? Was it so wrong to be happy with a human? Was it bad that she was suddenly falling head over heels in love as each second passed? Because if so, then they were doomed.

* * *

><p>"<em>People asked me if I loved you. I laughed and replied, "Do you breathe?"<em>

* * *

><p>Natsu racked his brain for more excuses, trying to mentally prepare himself for Duvall's onslaught of questions. He still didn't remember a thing, but he figured that if he was on trial of falling in love with a human, then saying she didn't love him would work pretty well.<br>The truth was, Natsu had no intention of surviving this trial. Every fiber of his being said to protect Lucy.  
>He was no fool. If found non-guilty, there was no way that the Head of the Council, Duvall, would allow a human to leave Hell unscathed. Lucy would probably be tortured severely as entertainment for the Council before finally being killed once they grew bored of hearing her scream in pain. The mere thought of something like that happening to Lucy made his body heat increase rapidly and blood boil. Still, human or not, they couldn't torture an innocent.<br>Duvall sat back in his seat, studying the two silently. The only sound was the ticking of an unseen clock, which was probably just there to add suspense in the large, echoing room.  
>Finally, Duvall stood up. He shot a commanding look at a nearby page, who squeaked and ran off, before speaking. "I accept the pleas of Mr. Dragneel. But I would like to hear a few words from Miss. Heartfilia." Nodding, but looking a little unsure, Natsu sat down.<br>Already in a nervous sweat, Lucy stood up, looking as if she wanting to dig herself a hole to die in.  
>"Yes, Your Honor?" she questioned, somehow managing to keep her voice from shaking.<br>Duvall glared at her before continuing. "Based on Mr. Dragneel's testimony, I understand that you would like to plead non-guilty?"  
>Lucy glanced at Natsu out of the corner of her eye. "Uh, yes, I do. That is correct."<br>Duvall smirked. "And why, exactly, is that your answer?"  
>Lucy didn't hesitate. Somehow, having Natsu there gave her the courage to do this without fainting. "Because I never lover Natsu. He kissed me, and I didn't like it or feel anything at all. Natsu is the only person in this room who's guilty." The answer hit him like a punch in the gut, bring tears to his eyes. For some reason, Lucy's answer hurt worse than anything he had ever been through and Natsu doubled over in his seat. It was even worse when she said it so seriously, as if… maybe, just maybe… she meant it. The crowd seemed to think so to, as whispers and conversations began breaking out randomly throughout the room until the sound was deafening and you couldn't make out even a single word .<br>"Order!" Duvall shouted, banging his mallet on the table. "I will have order in my court!" Slowly, everyone stopped talking the whispers now replaced by silence.  
>Duvall smiled. "Thank you. Now, as I was saying-"<br>Then, suddenly, Natsu gripped his head so tightly that his vision went white and let out an earth shattering scream.

* * *

><p><em>~Flashback~<em>

_It was a normal day at Fairy Tail High School. Well, not exactly. It was the first day of school, the start of a new year. For Natsu, it was the first day of his second year _(Gray shows up in the middle of the fourth year) _and he was practically bursting with excitement as he carefully placed the bucket full of ice cold water on top of the door.  
>It was a design he had spent all summer on, and he was quite proud. The design was practically invisible, but was set up so that it didn't spill on the first person to walk in, but the tenth (that way he didn't hit Erza. That was <em>_so __not funny). Don't ask how it worked, because even though Natsu designed it, he honestly had no idea what he did.  
>So, moving to the back of the classroom and attempting to stifle his Japanese school girl giggles, Natsu sat down in his seat and patently waited, breathing a sigh of relief when Erza entered the room first, glad to live another day.<br>Second was Laxus.  
>Third was Mirajane.<br>Fourth was Cana (who was already drunk).  
>Fifth was Evergreen, who was followed immediately after by Elfman (sixth).<br>Seventh was Freed (who only entered alone because Laxus had ditched him).  
>Eighth was Gajeel.<br>Ninth was Levy.  
>By now, Natsu was practically bouncing up and down in excitement. Everyone was giving him strange looks, but most really didn't care enough to ask why he was acting like an even bigger idiot than usual. Finally, after about five impossible minutes, Natsu practically cheered with delight when the door began to open for the tenth time. He squeezed his eyes shut, wanting to be surprised.<br>Natsu heard the bucket tip and the *splash* of water hitting tile. Biting his lip in anticipation, he cracked one eye open, immediately falling out of his chair, to overwhelmed with laughter to even feel the impact of the ground.  
>Standing it the door way with a dumbfounded expression on her face, was a soaking wet Lucy. That sight was so hilarious, that Natsu didn't even notice when five shadows moved over him. He did, however, notice when the five females in the classroom began beating the shit out of him, in order to (according to Erza) protect Lucy's virtue, as it turned out she was wearing all white that morning.<em>

_~End Flashback~_

* * *

><p>"<em>I don't think you understand how important it is for me to hear your voice every day."<em>

* * *

><p>When the white color faded from Natsu's eyes and he could see the courtroom again, Lucy let out a breath she hadn't know she was holding. She had been worried that Natsu would be permanently blind.<br>No one else seemed to really care about his well-being though, as they were all staring at him warily and covering their ears. Lucy she had her ears covered but only looked at him with confusion and relief.  
>Also, Duvall was still smiling at them creepily. And yet, his voice came out as polite and fake as ever. "Are you done, Mr. Dragneel?" He asked, expression not changing.<br>Natsu merely glared at him. "Of course, you may continue." He said.  
>Duvall's smile dropped as he glared back, but that lasted for about two seconds before he realized what he was doing and stopped.<br>Turning to face the room, Duvall grabbed on tightly to his perfect reputation in order to keep from laughing as he announced the sentence. "Based on the strong evidence and the testimonies from Mr. Dragneel and Miss. Heartfilia, I have concluded their separate fates." He glared at the two before continuing. "Miss. Heartfilia, you are found officially not-guilty and shall be returned home tomorrow, with no memory, at dawn. However," his gaze focused on Natsu, "You, Mr. Dragneel, have been unanimously found guilty of treason and shall be executed tomorrow in front of Miss. Heartfilia and your parents before _your human_," Duvall said sarcastically, "is banished from Hell for eternity. That is all." And with that, Duvall stood and exited the room with a dramatic flourish of his bad ass cape (Natsu mentally reminded himself to get a cape for his dramatic exits), leaving behind the dumbstruck pair with no remorse.  
>As soon as the door slammed shut behind him, Natsu turned to look at Lucy.<br>"I'm sorry, Luce." Lucy wasn't expecting an apology, so she took a moment to respond.  
>"Why are you apologizing? You haven't done anything."<br>Natsu shook his head. "I should have protected you better; I failed as a demon and a friend so now you have to watch me die, along with my parents."  
>Tears appeared in Lucy's eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them out. "I don't blame you, Natsu."<br>"But-" Natsu began, trying to protest.  
>Lucy put a hand up to stop him, shaking her head. "No, it's not your fault, not matter what anyone else says. You know," She said, looking up at the ceiling, "despite what's supposed to happen, I wouldn't want to change I single thing that we went through. The best moments of my life where spent with you." Her smile shrunk to a half-smile with those words, and Natsu didn't understand why.<br>Natsu blushed slightly, looking quickly away so she wouldn't see. "Yah, I just wish I could remember it."  
>At this, Lucy's small, forced smile crumbled completely and she looked down at her lap, now fiddling with her thumbs, causing Natsu to instantly regret his words and wish he could take them back. Clearly, this was a topic that Lucy was not okay with.<br>**(Warning young readers! This next scene is rated T for Teen! Continue at your own risk!)  
><strong>Natsu placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, so as to lighten her mood. Surprised, Lucy looked up and for a second, time froze. In that one second, there was no mounting doom, no amnesia, no upcoming death, and no complications. In that second, there was only Natsu and Lucy, Lucy and Natsu. They sounded good together, like two missing puzzle pieces. _How did I not realize how pretty she was before? _Natsu thought. _God, I'm an idiot. _He could have starred at Lucy for hours without getting bored, just memorizing every perfect inch of her face.  
>But then he noticed how… enticing her lips looked, demanding his full attention. They were such a soft shade of red, like a newly blossomed rose. It couldn't possibly be her natural shade. But it was, because Lucy was just that great. Her lips were so plump and kissable looking, that Natsu couldn't help but wonder if they felt as soft as rose petals and didn't even realize when he unconsciously leaned in, let alone when Lucy did so as well, really hoping for a kiss. Slowly, Natsu brought his free had up cupping her flushed cheek, and caressing it tenderly as Lucy found herself closing her eyes and leaning into his warm palm. Using this to his advantage, Natsu leaned in further until he was close enough to count Lucy's individual eyelashes. Still though, he wanted to be closer to the blonde. So close that not even the very air they breathed could get between them.<br>So that's what he did. Letting out a territorial growl, Natsu removed his hand from Lucy's shoulder and wrapped it firmly around her itty-bitty waist, pulling her flush against him. Lucy, startled by the sudden movement, opened her eyes just in time for Natsu lips to come in contact with hers harshly. Taking only a moment to realize what had happened and not even caring about the unexpectedness or roughness he used, Lucy immediately wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck and kissed back just as passionately and with a desperate hunger. Luckily, Natsu seemed more than willing to feed the blonde. Once again closing her eyes, Lucy forgot completely that they were still in the courtroom (though it had luckily, been emptied out by then).  
>The kiss seemed to say everything that the two star crossed lovers were afraid to admit out loud. <em>I'm sorry.<em> Natsu seemed to say, running his tongue along her lower lip slowly and hesitantly, only succeeding in making Lucy's common sense melt. _Shut up and kiss me. _Lucy responded, parting her pretty lips delicately while simultaneously probing his mouth as well. Natsu groaned into Lucy's mouth as she sucked on his tongue lightly.  
>Their kiss somehow managed to convoy every emotion running through their heads at once. Love, hurt, sorrow, and unannounced passion. It was the ideal kiss, really. Gentle and slow, but filled with enough distress to make both of them ache with need, bordering on the edge of insanity.<br>So, when they both pulled away from the best kiss of their lives (until the next one, and the next one, and the next one… well, you get the picture), there was defiantly some heavy breathing going on for both of them.  
><strong>(Okay, back to rating E, for everyone)<strong>  
>Lucy looked up at Natsu, smiling. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Natsu gasped in pain. His eyes went completely white, just like earlier but without the screaming. Lucy wanted to reach out and shake Natsu until he could see her again, but somehow managed to restrain herself. Finally, after thirty seconds of agonizing worry, Natsu's eyes faded back to his usual onyx and he stared at her with a slack jaw, onyx orbs nearly popping out of his skull with surprise.<br>"Natsu?" Lucy questioned, tilting her head to the side in confusion. "What is it? What just happened?" Natsu shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts. With the odd, surprised expression gone, he looked Lucy straight in the eye with such intensity that Lucy's legs melted and her entire body quivered, blood rushing to her face.  
>"Lucy, I just…" Natsu began, but was cut off when the large golden doors to the room burst open with a loud *bang!*.<br>Immediately, the two jumped away from each other, more out of reflex than embarrassment (though Lucy was still a little red).  
>Wordlessly, the same five guards from earlier moved in, crossing the room in record time. Natsu was yanked by his shirt front into a standing position and Lucy was merely pulled up by her arms. Still being infuriatingly silent, the guards escorted Natsu and Lucy down separate hallways that were identical to every other corridor in the palace.<br>But this time, only Lucy looked back.


	7. More Questions and No Answers

**A/N: Okay, this chapter is going to be a little different and won't make **_**any**_** sense until the very end of this story. Enjoy! **

* * *

><p>"<em>To me, you are perfect in every single way."<em>

* * *

><p>Lucy woke up extra early that day. It was Christmas Eve, and she was planning on spending every second of it with her boyfriend, Gray (after school, of course. Why do they have school on a national holiday anyway?), so she figured that she might as bother Natsu for a while.<br>So, Lucy quickly got ready for the day and was soon skipping happily to Natsu's apartment, which was only three blocks away. About halfway there, she noticed that one of her favorite cafés was open. Lucy was a bit early, it was only 6:00, and she was cold and Natsu would probably demand breakfast… and so, that's how Lucy ended up making a detour.  
>Shivering, the blonde entered the quaint little shop. She wanted to arrive extra early at Natsu's, so she ordered a large meal of pancakes and a small hot chocolate to-go for herself. Lucy exited the warm café hesitantly, not liking the early morning chill on bit. For some reason though, she had a strong since of daja-vu, to the point that she felt as if she was still asleep and just dreaming. But Lucy just shook the feeling off and continued to Natsu's apartment to wake him up.<br>But to her surprise, when she arrived at Natsu's roomy apartment with the food and an empty cup, he was already awake and in the shower. Timidly, Lucy knocked on the bathroom door. "Natsu?"  
>At first, she thought he wouldn't respond but then, "Lucy?" he called out.<br>"Yeah, it's me. Are you still in the shower?"  
>"Yeah, just give me a few minutes and I'll be out."<br>Smiling softly to herself, Lucy went into the kitchen and placed the styrofoam to-go box on the counter. Her smile fell quickly though. Frowning now, she took a good look around the room. For some reason, everything looked funny. As if… she was seeing it all through water. Lucy shook her head quickly and when she looked again, the room was back to normal. But the strange feeling of daja-vu returned and was growing rapidly.  
>Sparing a glance at the clock, Lucy was shocked to find that twenty minutes had passed since she got there. She groaned inwardly. And Natsu wasn't even out of the shower yet! Erza was<em> so<em> going to kill them.  
>Lucy knocked on the bathroom door again. "Natsu, hurry up! The food I brought is getting cold and we're going to be late!"<br>As if on cue, the door opened and the steam poured into the hallway, blinding her for a moment. Natsu, wearing a simple black t-shirt and blue jeans despite the cold, brushed passed her dismissively and walked swiftly into the kitchen. Without missing a step, he picked the food up off the table and flung it flawlessly into the open top trash can nearby. Still not looking at the dumbfounded blonde behind him, Natsu walked right out the front door, closing it silently behind him.  
>For a second, Lucy just stood there, arms limp at her sides and jaw dropped. One thing was for sure, now the daja-vu feeling was gone. Then the anger bubbled over and she took after him, grabbing her book bag and slamming the door loudly on her way out. But, somehow, Lucy managed to run all the way to school without ever seeing any sign of Natsu. There weren't even any foot prints in the snow.<br>So, as she walked past Erza (who didn't even look at her) and into the classroom that was vacant of both Natsu and Gray, Lucy was absolutely certain that something was wrong.  
>Still, everything else was normal. So normal that it was really rather… boring. It was with this thought that Lucy put her head on her desk and fell asleep.<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>From the day I first saw you, you had me. I was yours."<em>

* * *

><p><em>~Lucy's Dream~<em>

_Lucy sighed in defeat, raising her arms so that the guards could shackle them for about the millionth time that day. Really, she didn't see a point to the restraints. There was no way she would be able to out-run and out-match professionally trained armed guards. Besides, the shackles hurt and were chafing her wrists. Still, she didn't have a real say in the matter.  
>So, despite her countless protests and resistance, the guards dragged Lucy towards the small chamber that had been specially prepared for Natsu's private execution.<br>Once there, the damned shackles were removed and taken out of the room, which was bitter-sweet for Lucy. Sweet because she hated those things. Bitter because it meant that neither she nor Natsu were going to be leaving this room. Lucy slumped in her assigned seat. Apparently, she was to be sent home immediately after the execution and the chair kept her from standing. She couldn't care less about her life back home at the moment. Still though, everyone must be worried about her by now. Distantly, Lucy recalled someone telling her that time passed quicker in Hell than on Earth, but she couldn't remember who it had been.  
>Deciding, not to worry about it, Lucy's attention was drawn back to the spectacle in front of her. Natsu's parents had entered the room a few moments ago, both looking ready to cry. They were unrestrained but were led by several guards.<br>At the moment though, two bland looking servants were pushing a large, familiar looking wooden thing into the room. It took her a second to remember, but Lucy quickly realized what it was.  
>It was a guillotine.<br>Lucy had only seen one of those in her history books.  
>Panic clawed at Lucy's very being, consuming her unexpectedly. Were they really going to behead Natsu in front of her and his parents? <em>This is really happening…_ Lucy realized. She was really going to watch her best friend die.  
>Then, before Lucy could formulate a brilliant rescue plan, the doors swung open, revealing a rather grim faced Natsu swamped on either side by guards. His arms were bound behind his back with thin, fraying rope, as if the guards didn't expect him to run. Over half of the guards left upon entrance, leaving only a hand full to lead him to the guillotine platform.<br>Lucy slammed her eyes shut, holding back tears and not wanting to watch this happen. But after a few minutes, when there was no sound, she cracked one eye open. For some reason, no one was moving, as if time was frozen. But the moment passed as soon as it had appeared. Then the doors opened once again. But, instead of a stuck up asshole from the Council like she was expecting, Gray walked into the room.  
>Lucy's eyes lit up. Never had she been so happy to see her boyfriend (technically ex-boyfriend).<br>"Gray!" she called out. But he didn't even look at her. Actually, he didn't appear to be looking at anyone. His eyes were blank, free of emotion or light and looking straight ahead.  
>"Gray!" she tried again. Still, he didn't answer. Instead, Gray walked forward in slow, jerky motions. As if he was a puppet, only moving because some unknown person was pulling the strings.<br>After a long, suspenseful minute, Gray reached the guillotine were Natsu had been successfully strapped down. One pale hand shot out surprisingly quick and tightly gripped the rope that kept the blade from falling. With a start, Lucy realized what was going on but wanted to believe that it wasn't true. _Don't tell me that Gray is going to kill Natsu? _Lucy thought.  
>"Gray! Don't!" Lucy called again, trying in vain to stand up. But it was too late.<br>"Lucy!" Natsu shouted, gaze locking on her and eyes filled with terror.  
>"Lucy!"<br>"Lucy…!"  
><em>_**"LUCY!"**_

_~End Dream~_

* * *

><p>With a start, Lucy shot strait up, immediately awake from her nap. It took a minute to register, but she realized quickly that she was still in the classroom and her face flushed crimson. Mira was standing in front of her, looking annoyed while the entire class was giggling.<br>"Well, glad you've finally decided to join us, Lucy." Mira said sarcastically, but in a tone that said there was no punishment.  
>It was only when Mira had her back turned and went back to teaching the lesson that Lucy remembered her dream.<br>_What a strange dream… _Lucy thought dismissively, not thinking about what it meant. That's when she looked out the window.  
>Standing on the other side of the glass was Natsu, but he looked sad… and he was defiantly transparent. Lucy could clearly make out the snow covered school grounds behind him that should have been hidden by his body. She almost cried out, but ghost-Natsu put a finger to his lips and Lucy remained quiet.<br>Frantically, he began writing in the frost that was covering the window with one finger. The message was backwards, but Lucy quickly deciphered it. By then, ghost-Natsu was gone, seeming to disappear into the wind.  
>The message simply read:<p>

**忘****  
><strong>**れ****  
><strong>**て****  
><strong>**は****  
><strong>**い****  
><strong>**け****  
><strong>**な****  
><strong>**い ****  
><strong>(Don't Forget)

And, for some reason, that sent chills down her spine.

* * *

><p>"<em>When I'm with you, hours feel like seconds. But when were apart, days feel like years."<em>

* * *

><p>After class, Lucy numbly stumbled out of the classroom in a daze. Briefly, she recalled her after-school plans with Gray, but forgot them easily. Right now, she was just too confused to worry about something like that (I use confused a lot, don't I?). The dream plus ghost-Natsu's message were both connected somehow but Lucy was obviously missing some pieces.<br>Then a thought struck her.  
>Maybe if she fell asleep, she would have another dream! It was, by far, a long shot, but Lucy had seen it work on TV, so there was a chance.<br>Excited now, Lucy snapped out of her thoughts and rushed home.  
>Once there however, she soon realized an obvious problem. She wasn't tired in the least. Lucy had done all of her homework and did a little cleaning to pass the time. After that, at about 5:00, she had a small salad and then, in her excitement, prepared for bed. And that's how she spent three hours sitting on her bed with her knees pressed up to her chest rocking back and forth slowly like a crazy person.<br>Finally, she gave a defeated sigh and flopped backwards on her bed. Lucy curled up in a little ball, close to tears. That feeling of daja-vu had been there ever since she had gotten home, as if she had done this entire day before.  
>It was starting to give her a serious headache.<br>Lucy closed her eyes somewhat reluctantly, not even noticing when sleep finally over took her.

* * *

><p><em>~Lucy's Dream~ <em>

_Lucy opened her eyes and looked around. Well, she tried to. For some reason, she couldn't move her head. Plus, just as curiously, her vision was incredibly blurry. Lucy blinked a few times, but it didn't help to improve anything at all. She tried to using her hands to wipe away whatever it was that was in her eyes, but her hands was restrained by what felt some coarse rope. Lucy wanted to pull and struggle against the bonds until her wrists bled, but something within her told her to wait for the right moment and be patient.  
>All of a sudden, her vision cleared and everything was in such sharp focus that she had to close her eyes. After her corneas finally stopped burning, Lucy begrudgingly opened her eyes. What she saw confused her (what did I tell ya?). Sitting in front of her was a beautiful blonde girl who looked rather worried and quite pain stricken.<br>With a jolt that hurt her neck, Lucy realized that she was looking at herself. Then she realized what was going on. This was her dream from earlier, only now she was in __**Natsu's**__ body. And that meant…  
>Terror gripped her.<br>Then, right before Lucy could yank the ropes off her wrists, much to her displeasure and horror, Gray entered the room right on cue. Lucy froze, ceasing her (pointless) struggles for a moment.  
>Gray looked even worse up close.<br>His normally pale skin was practically transparent, lacking its usual sheen. She could actually see the blood vessels and tendons traveling up and down both his arms. Gray was also incredibly skinny, and had lost quite a bit of muscle. The guards must have been starving him and been keeping him restrained constantly for this amount of damage to occur. His every step made his entire body quiver, obviously not used to any movement. And when Gray gripped the rope holding the blade in place, Lucy noticed his muscles tighten and he bit down on his lip to keep from crying out.  
><em>_**(Note: One day on Earth= One month in Hell)**__  
>Fury over took Lucy's mind like a tidal wave and, for a second, all she could see was red. All she could feel was the urge to kill. Kill whoever had even dared to touch Gray, never mind the person that had watched and laughed while they forced him into this <em>_**awful**__ state. They had had their differences, but Gray was like an older brother to Lucy.  
>Once upon a time, she had even loved him.<br>Lucy shook her head, clearing all murderous thoughts from her mind, instead focusing on all the happy memories she had.  
>Revenge could come later, and it would most certainly be gruesome and torturous. Right now, patience was the key to her success, the key to escaping and leaving this horrible place behind permanently.<br>Lucy was planning to help Gray as well, but then, for some odd reason, he smiled down at her secretively and winked. _

_~End Dream~_

* * *

><p>Lucy awoke suddenly. All was still, but something had defiantly woken her up. Lucy sat up on her bed and looked around the room. It was very dark. A quick look at the clock confirmed it. About four hours had passed since Lucy had fallen asleep.<br>Movement caught her attention. Swiveling her head to get a good look, Lucy couldn't make out what was moving at first because it was so dark. Then she saw. The cup of water she always kept on her oak wood nightstand was shaking, just enough for the water inside to pound against the glass sides.  
>Lucy was about to forget about it and go back to sleep, but now the more rational part of her brain was awake, and it was asking questions. Questions like; <em>why is the nightstand shaking now to? <em>Then, without and warning, her entire world began shaking. _Earthquake! _Lucy realized fearfully.  
>Stumbling over her own two feet, Lucy awkwardly managed to roll of her bed and fall to the floor, away from the window. She curled herself into a little ball and ducked her head. Just in time too, as, not a second later, the window imploded in on itself and rained shattered glass all over Lucy's pretty pink designer bed spread.<br>After a moment or two, the shaking stopped all together, leaving just as quickly as it had come. Lucy waited a few seconds, making sure it really had stopped, before looking up to survey the damage done to her room.  
>For starters, all the glass in the room had shattered. Her full-length mirror, her variety of perfume bottles, and all the little figurines Lucy had collected for as long as she could remember. Her book shelf had managed to somehow fall over on its side and her books were thrown all across the room, some were open and a few even had ripped pages. The dresser had fallen over, and the closet was now wide open but all of Lucy's clothes seemed (thankfully) to be in their proper spots and fully intact.<br>Lucy sucked in a deep breath and nervously stood up. Carefully avoiding the glass on the floor, Lucy peered through the window to see how much damage had been done to the neighborhood.  
>But, to her immense shock, there wasn't any sigh of the earthquake outside. It was all perfectly neat and there was even one guy taking a pleasant stroll.<br>Feeling a bit overwhelmed (which seemed to be the norm lately), Lucy sank slowly back to the ground and stared at the wall. Nothing at all made since. Her dreams weren't helping either. This latest dream made even less since than the first one, and had probably even caused the earthquake. As crazy as that sounded, Lucy was starting to realize that, with each passing moment; it became just a little more believable.

* * *

><p>"<em>I want you to be happy, but I want to be the reason why."<em>

* * *

><p>"Oi, Natsu!" Gray shouted, running to catch up to the pinkette.<br>Natsu, hearing the shout, looked behind him at Gray and scowled, though was secretly not annoyed in the least. "What is it?" he asked his raven haired companion.  
>Gray bent over on his knees and took a deep breath, putting one finger up for the universal symbol, <em>one-second<em>. Natsu frowned deeply, worried about his friends condition. Although some of what Gray had done in the execution chamber had been an act, the guards had done some serious damage and he was not yet fully healed.  
>Gray had to report to the official palace healer, Natsu's little sister, Wendy, every day for a quick check-up and physical therapy. It was going really well so far, and Gray had made a quick come back, but Natsu still worried.<br>"Where are you running off to?" Gray asked, standing up straight.  
>Natsu scoffed. "Isn't it obvious? They figured out a way to contact Lucy again."<br>Gray's eyes widened a fraction and, despite Wendy's constant warnings against running, took off alongside Natsu in a mad dash to the palace laboratory.  
>Despite their choice of décor, the supernatural population was, in actuality, far more advanced than the people of Earth. They had created and alternate and economically beneficial power sources a century before oil was used on Earth and had solved world hunger and water shortages before they had even been a problem.<br>So, under Natsu's orders, they had quickly gotten to work on building a teleporter. Well, actually, they had been working on teleportation for at least two hundred years, but had only made a significant breakthrough recently.  
><strong>(They need a teleporter because sending people to Hell or going to Earth took up all the magic power, which to a while to restore. All of it had been used up when the Council sent Lucy home.)<strong>  
>And 'breakthrough' means that it's not done. So, going off the data that was collected from several long but successful experiments, paid scientists managed to create the next best thing until the teleporter is finished.<br>Holographic messaging.  
>So, Natsu could now talk to Lucy, but he couldn't touch her or talk or stay to long, as (obviously) the machine required an <em>enormous <em>amount of power, which is also why only Natsu could use it.  
>For some reason, which hadn't been explained yet, Natsu's natural use of fire had never been seen before in the supernatural world (despite Hell's décor).<br>Even more perplexing, it had the ability to power technological objects. This unexplainable occurrence had been discovered when Little Natsu had lit his hand on fire, then swung around and touched a power generator, which had 'somehow' exploded from power overload a few seconds after.  
>Still, Natsu did have limited magic power. If he stayed it the holograph machine for too long, he could faint and be immobilized for a few days or even die. And, because of these very good reasons plus constant pressure from his mother, Natsu eventually, but reluctantly agreed to keep his visits brief. Still, he had to get his messages across successfully <em>somehow<em>. After all, Lucy was in grave danger, but the only one that could help her, was herself.  
>She had to open a gate to Hell, something that only Satan and God had the power to do.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: I would like to thank everyone for reading my story, especially the people that liked and/or followed my story. Thanks soooo much for the nice reviews, no hate! **** I'm gonna try and make the next chapter really long, so it will take a while to upload, sorry. **** Luckily, the next one will be the last chapter, finishing the story! The next upload will also answer all your questions, so please don't comment any. Thanks, see ya!**


	8. The End (Finally)

**Oh my god. Is it true? Did I finally update!? Yes I did, so just shut up and read. You can thank me later.  
>Also, I'm seriously sorry for how long this took. I really wasn't planning on doing this, but I looked at the amount of people who have favoritefollowed this story, and my guilty conscience decided that it was time. Sorry if this chapter is unfulfilling.  
>NaLu 5ever (that's more than 4ever)!<strong>

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><p>"<em>A romantic relationship is not just holding hands while you understand each other. It's also having lots of misunderstandings and not leaving each other's <em>_hands."_

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><p>Lucy took a deep breath. She counted to ten while doing jumping jacks, she ran a brush through her hair until her scalp was numb and she drank at least a gallon of calming jasmine tea. But she couldn't relax. And really, could you blame her? After what had just happened, it was a miracle that she was still functioning properly. She was still trying to convince herself that this was all just a bad dream but, strangely, it was the sensible part of her brain that told her this was all too real.<br>All she wanted to do was curl into a tiny ball under the covers of her bed and fall into a deep and hopefully dreamless sleep, but her brain would have none of it. Instead, it kept on searching for a logical answer to what had just happened, coming up empty as each scenario got more and more ridiculous until she was forced to face the truth.  
>What was happening wasn't logical.<br>And so, it was with a heavy heart and a disbelieving mind that Lucy turned to the illogical reasoning's for this mess. But even after changing approaches, she only came up with one possibility.  
>Angels.<br>Somehow, she knew with ice cold certainty that this wasn't the work of demons or the like. This had been planned carefully to scare and possibly hurt her, but death was something that they were saving for later. A normal Christian would have assumed that it was the devil or God punishing him, but Lucy suspected far worse.  
>An angel gone rouge.<br>If that was the case, then she needed help and fast. Rouge angels were as bad as demons but with all the powers and perks of being a divine being.  
>Suddenly, the cozy apartment she had taken so much pride in while buying was too small and too dark and too empty. She needed to be around other people, someone that would understand or at least comfort her. The first person she considered was Natsu, but after his behavior that morning and the weird visions during class, she wasn't sure anymore. Lucy then briefly pondered Gray, but something told her that she had best stay away from him too. So she decided on Erza. She wouldn't understand the situation, but she really needed to be around a friend.<br>Lucy had barely taken three steps towards the door when there was a sudden flash of light behind her. Caught off guard, she swiveled on the tips of her toes faster than she had thought possible, now facing her bedroom again.  
>Only this time, it wasn't empty.<br>Standing there, still strangely transparent, was Natsu. He looked around the room briefly, assessing the damage, before his eyes finally rested on her. His eyes lit up and his face broke out into a large and rather infectious grin. "Lucy!" he shouted happily, as if they hadn't seen each other on years.  
>She smiled at him and felt her face flush bright red at the expression of pure, unadulterated joy on his face as he studied her. "Hi, Natsu." she said weekly, still having trouble processing what was happening.<br>Either he understood her reaction or didn't mind, because Natsu's smile didn't falter. Instead, he reached out a hand as if to touch her, but quickly decided against it, putting it back firmly at his side.  
>"Luce, as great as it is to see you, I really do have something serious to talk about." he explained, drifting closer towards her for emphasis. "I wish I could be there to help you, and we are working on it, but Luce, you have to-"<br>He was cut off suddenly. Lucy could see nothing wrong with him, but then his body began to flicker and buzz like an old T.V.  
>"Natsu, what is it?" She asked, reaching out a hand to touch him. But instead of feeling the silky softness of her hair like she had anticipated, her hand passed straight through his head, sending a chill up her spine as if she had shoved her arm into a pile of snow. Lucy stared in shock at her hand, which was now coated in a fine layer of frost.<br>"Luce, I can't explain everything yet, but just listen to me!" Natsu pleaded, his appearance becoming more unstable by the minute. "I have to go, but - can't - me and -, just try - remember." he said, some of his speech being slurred to the point that she couldn't make out a single syllable.  
>"What? Natsu, I don't understand!" she called, trying to touch him even though her fingers were now going numb from the cold.<br>Natsu opened his both to explain some more, but before he could, his body lit up and exploded, causing little bits of crystal to float around the room, only to disappear as soon as they hit the ground.  
>With a dumbfounded expression, Lucy's legs wobbled and gave out, and she landed harshly on her knees in the spot Natsu had been only moments before. She knew that the fall was supposed to hurt, but she didn't feel anything. Looking down, she realized that her knees were coated in ice, and it was spreading up to her thighs at an alarming pace. Taking a deep breath, Lucy forced herself to stand and made her was unsteadily to the bed. There, she got under the covers and wrapped herself up in the blankets, but it didn't help. The ice was sucking all the heat out of her body and so her body had no heat for the blankets to keep in.<br>Shivering heavily, she stood up, almost falling flat on her face, and made her way to the kitchen. With wavering hands, she activated her coffee machine, hoping that it would finish before she froze to death. The ice had already fully encased the lower half of her body and was inching its way up her stomach.  
>With a ping, the machine finished the coffee, automatically pouring it into her favorite pink mug. Quickly, she picked it up, only to immediately put it back down. She was so cold that the normally comforting heat from the mug was burning her hands. Steadying her resolve, Lucy grit her teeth and forced her arms to bring the mug up and pour the coffee into her mouth. The liquid burnt her mouth so badly that she almost spit it out. Instead, she forced herself to swallow, shivering uncomfortably as the coffee burned all the way down her esophagus. Lucy finished the coffee in just another few gulps, each swallow more pleasant then the last. When she looked down, she noticed that the ice was gone, and she almost laughed.<br>How strange that enchanted ice could be defeated by a cup of coffee.  
>Placing the mug in the sink, she made her way swiftly back to the main room. All was quiet, and it unnerved her. Surely, after all that had just happened, the universe shouldn't be this calm?<br>As if to prove her point, there was a loud banging on her front door.  
>"Lucy, are you in there?" someone yelled, "It's me, Natsu!"<br>"Natsu..." Lucy muttered, and she almost wept with relief. "I'm coming!" she shouted, running towards the door. A split second before she opened the door, a thought crossed her suddenly foggy mind.  
><em>"Why is Natsu knocking so calmly when he can just appear in here?"<em> she thought. And then, opening the door seemed like a bad idea. But it was too late.  
>Lucy swung open the door, only to be immediately knocked down onto the floor. She laid there for a long while, panting on her back, trying to regain the breath that had left her at the impact.<br>"What are you doing down there, Lucy?" came Natsu's voice from above her. It was then that she realized the truth.  
>Whoever was at her door was most certainly not Natsu.<br>His voice as he pretended to care about her was laced with humor and cruelty and as he bent over to look at her, she saw a twisted grin of pleasure on his face. Pleasure from hurting her. She shivered.  
>"Aw, are you cold Lucy?" he asked with mock concern, noticing her shivering, "Don't worry, I can fix that." he said, and before her very eyes, he lit his fist on fire, the orange and red colors licking up his fingers and into the open air, flickering eerily and casting his face into a sinister shadow. He wound his fist up behind himself and, with an angry growl, aimed the fiery fist at her face. Still to out of breath to scream, Lucy raised her arms up and crossed them protectively over her fist, bracing herself for the impact.<br>It never came.  
>Tentatively, she lowered her arms and opened her eyes to see what had happened. Natsu's fist was so close to her face that she went cross eyed trying to look at it. He looked none too happy to find that Lucy was still unharmed. The reason that Natsu had stopped probably had something to do with the pale hand wrapped around his wrist.<br>"Gray?" Lucy gasped, propping herself up on her elbows. She was shocked to see him, but stopped herself from getting to happy before seeing how the situation played out.  
>"Natsu, what are you doing?" he asked, ignoring Lucy completely.<br>"What does it look like?" Natsu snarled, ripping his arm from Gray's grip and straightening up, "I'm finishing this stupid job." he said hotly.  
>Gray shook his head calmly, "You know we can't do that. That client wants her alive." his eyes darted over to Lucy's fallen form, "For now." he finished darkly.<br>"What do you want?" Lucy asked nervously, crawling backwards to try and escape the two impostors.  
>The fake Natsu glared down at her in disgust. "Have you really not figured it out yet?" he asked, walking towards her, "You really are pathetic." he bent down, wrapping a hand around her neck and squeezing, "I have no idea why someone like Natsu-nii would be interested in <em>you<em>." he said, spitting out the word "you" like it was poisonous.  
>"Natsu-nii?!" she gasped, clawing at the hand circling her throat, trying and failing to force air into her lungs. He grinned at her and just like that, his entire form melted and revealed his true form.<br>He was blonde. And he was tall, slightly taller than Natsu by what appeared to be a few inches, though it was hard for Lucy to be sure with the black spots that were beginning to appear in her vision. He had steely blue eyes and his left ear was pierced with a large golden crystal. Lucy felt her gaze being pulled towards something and so she looked up and slightly to the left. He had a large scar on his face, cutting diagonally just above his eye.  
>And suddenly she knew who he was.<br>"Sting?" she shouted, the cry hurting her dry throat.  
>Sting grinned and gave her throat another squeeze, causing Lucy to gasp painfully. "Yep, are you happy to see me sis?" he taunted, finally releasing his hold on her and letting her drop to the ground. Lucy bent over, pounding on her chest and taking deep breaths in between coughs.<br>"How are you even here?" Lucy cried, still out of breath.  
>He smirked, "Well, if you really want to know." Sting taunted, then his expression turned serious. "Me and Rouge were your brothers in a past life, don't you remember? We died for you and then we were reincarnated, right? Wrong!" He raised his foot and kicked her square in the chest, sending her tumbling backwards before continuing, hatred in his eyes. "We only got one life and you got eleven. Not only did you ditch us, but you were better off too! As angels, we have a lot of free time of our hands. So, we began thinking, "What if we could make her feel that same pain?"." he paused, letting the information sink in.<br>Honestly, it all kinda made since to Lucy, and yet she barely understood most of what was being said.  
>"Sting, just hurry up and knock her out." came a voice from the doorway. Instead of Gray, there was someone else. Apparently, his impostor got bored of hiding too. Lucy didn't even need to look at his black hair and red eyes to know his name.<br>"Rouge..." she muttered weakly, knowing that whatever she said would only make Sting madder. "Should've known it was you..."  
>Sting grinned down at her, laughing coldly, "I'll admit, I'm impressed that you can remember your past lives with so much detail. Maybe you're not so pathetic."<br>"Past lives..." Lucy repeated, still in a bit of a daze. "Past lives." she said again, but stronger, as if she actually understood their meaning. "You... you were part of my past life." Lucy stated, staring up wide-eyed at Sting.  
>He rolled his eyes, already knowing that, "No. Really?" he asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Then, if you can remember that, then you must remember the truth about your parents, right?" he mocked, only half kidding.<br>And that was when Lucy realized something. No matter how hard she tried, she could never picture a mother in any of her past lives. But she knew that she must have had a mother, so where was she?  
>It was then, with breath-taking certainty, that Lucy knew the answer.<br>Her mother was in Heaven, with the other original angels. The angels that had never been human. The angels that were pure hearted and unrealistically gorgeous and older than humankind itself.  
>And her father, he was in Heaven now too. But he had been a human. So that made her...<br>"Half-angel?" she muttered, resting her head in her hand.  
>Sting chuckled darkly, "Yep, an illegitimate freak from Heaven. How do you feel about that?" He stepped towards her.<br>That was his first mistake.  
>Being so close to her was a choice he would later regret.<br>His second mistake was what he said next.  
>"You were never meant to exist. Your mother broke a fundamental law of Heaven and disgraced us all. She was shunned, taunted, and sent to Hell to rot for her crimes." He raised a hand, lighting it up again, but with pure light instead of fire, "Say "Hi" to her for me, will you?"<br>And that was when Lucy snapped.  
>She was tired of Sting's mocking words, and she was tired of being underestimated her whole life, but, more than anything, she was tired of being away from the two people she cared for the most. And now, she finally had the power to do something about it.<br>With a cry that would terrify most grown men, Lucy launched herself at Sting, catching him momentarily off guard. He soon found his balance however, and pulled back a fist to beat her back to the ground, only to stop. Suddenly, there was something... inhuman about the once pathetic looking blonde girl.  
>Her golden hair was no longer falling straight towards her shoulders like normal. Instead, it was levitating it the air around her, as if she was full of static electricity, which made since considering that lightning was literally tingling on the tips of her fingers and filling the air around her, causing an unpleasant prickling sensation to run up and down Sting's spine. She hovered a few inches off the ground seemingly by sheer willpower alone, and her skin, which was admittedly perfectly flawless and smooth, was practically glowing now. Her eyes, once dominated by her deep chocolate brown irises, were now solid white and emitting a light that rivaled the brightness of the Hollywood sign.<br>"Rouge, I think we have a problem." Sting said nervously to his "twin", who was still there for some reason. Rouge turned and glared at him, giving him a "no shit" look. "Right, pretty obvious statement, huh?" he asked sheepishly. Instead of answering, as was socially correct, Rouge entered his fight position, facing Lucy with a carefully blank expression. Hesitantly, Sting did the same.  
>Lucy glared at the two of them warily before following suit.<br>She raised a single hand, ready to blast the first person that moved.  
>Sting took a step towards her.<br>And then all Hell broke loose.

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><p>"<em>Love is friendship set on fire."<em>

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><p>With a start, Natsu stumbled out of the unfinished teleporter machine, falling to his knees once he was back on solid ground. He pounded on his chest, coughing loudly after inhaling the black smoke that now filled the broken machine.<br>"Natsu, are you okay?" his mother asked unstably, falling to the ground in front of him. "Speak to me!" she cried, too worried to use common sense.  
>"Mom, move!" Wendy cried, having just entered the room. She had received a distress signal from Grandine via "the Wind" as soon as the machine had shown signs of failure. Now, the blue-haired girl forcibly moved her mother out of the way and placed her hands on Natsu's chest, using her healing magic to clear the harmful smoke from his lungs. After a few tense moments of lip biting and shoe tapping, she removed her hands and proclaimed her brother "healed" before promptly passing out.<br>Natsu, who was currently struggling to escape his mother's "hug of death", offered to carry her back to her room, as they usually did when she over worked herself. Grandine would have none of it though, and so Gray, who had caught Wendy before her head hit the ground, offered to do it. Grandine agreed, at then it was only her and her son in the room, which was now being swarmed by scientists, who were absolutely stumped as to what had caused the internal explosion.  
>"Come Natsu," Grandine said soothingly, pulling the fire user into a standing position, "Let's leave the scientists to it. With a weak nod, knowing that his mother was too over protective to let him out of her sight for at least an hour, Natsu agreed and followed her on the grounds that she let go of his hand.<br>After a few moments in which Grandine fused over her only son in the castle's main living room, Gray appeared and took a seat on a plush couch across from them.  
>"So..." he began awkwardly, "What happened?"<br>"Well," Natsu placed his hand on his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully, "The visit started out fine. I was even able to talk to her this time, so the upgrade worked fine, but once I tried to give her the message, the machine began breaking down. For a second I was there, then I was here, and it kept flicking back and forth until the machine exploded." He made an explosion gesture with his hands, almost smacking his mother in the face. She forgave him only because she was still pumped up on worry adrenaline.  
>Gray nodded, shooting Grandine an apologetic glance, knowing that Natsu wouldn't, "We figured as much. The real question is; "What the hell happened"?" Both demons glared at him. "Sorry, force of habit." He apologized, trying to laugh it off. Lucky for him, Natsu was an idiot and Grandine was too busy thinking to really care so neither pushed further.<br>The three spent a few silent moments just sitting there, not saying anything, all of them trying to come up with a logical explanation for what had happened. Suddenly, the doors to the room burst open and their top scientist, a brilliant young man named Quincy, walked briskly towards them. He stopped a few feet in front of the spot where Natsu and Grandine was sitting and bowed deeply, refusing to stand up straight until, in his words, "Her Majesty allows it". Once that was cleared, he got immediately to business.  
>"We discovered what caused the machine to malfunction," he explained, gaining the attention of even Natsu, who had been busy worrying about Lucy, "It was this." He reached into his coat pocket…<br>…and pulled out a gun, shooting everyone in the room in the chest in rapid succession.  
><strong>(No, just kidding. I got bored, sorry. Here's what really happened)<strong>  
>He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, flat metal disc. It was barely bigger than a thumb nail, but it was easy to see that it was completely solid and had no cracks, making it difficult to tell what it was.<br>"What is it?" Natsu asked, speaking the question everyone had been afraid to ask, at risk of sounding stupid.  
>"A very good question, sire." Quincy said, lifting the small ball up to the light, "Until five minutes ago, I myself had no idea either. However, using x-rays and common sense, me and my team discovered that it is in fact, a sort of bomb."<br>"A bomb?" Grandine shouted, gripping tightly to the arm of the couch to keep herself from jumping up and strangling the man for bring it in the room, "Then why would you bring it in here?"  
>"Please relax Your Majesty," Quincy tried, though he knew it wouldn't work on a mother, "It has already expended its one use." This soothed Grandine somewhat, though she still refused to release her tight grip on Natsu's arm. "This small device is actually incredibly advanced. I have never seen a sabotage device so sophisticated in all my many years." He explained, handing it carefully to Grandine to inspect, "Once placed in a computer mainframe or electronic device of your preference, you need only press a button and this small disc with send out a signal, causing the device to malfunction before exploding." Quincy looked positively giddy as he spoke, as if the was the greatest thing to happen since microwavable foods. "Though, how someone managed to place it in the computer is a mystery to me."<br>Natsu plucked the device from his mother's dainty grip and held it close to his face before handing it to Gray, who looked pretty curious, "But, why mess with the teleporter?" he asked.  
>Gray snorted, "God, for a prince, you really are an idiot." He ignored the glare he got from Quincy for speaking "so rudely" to the prince, "Obviously, they wanted to keep you from warning Lucy about the danger she's in." he shook his head slowly, "I still can't believe that she loves you." He muttered, though in truth, Gray was happy for the two of them. He could already see the wedding and kids, it was that obvious.<br>Natsu jumped up, snatching the device from a very unhappy Gray, "Then what are we wasting time sitting around here for?" he cried, running towards to door, only to stop right before reaching it. "Uh, why is this thing blinking?" he asked, holding the disc up to show that it was indeed, flashing yellow.  
>Flash. Flash. Flash.<br>Blink. Blink. Blink.  
>"Natsu, toss it!" Gray shouted at his idiot of a friend.<br>But it was too late.  
>The device exploded in Natsu's hand.<br>With an inhuman cry that made Gray search the room for wild animals, Grandine tossed herself off the couch and crossed the room to her fallen son in a matter of milliseconds.  
>"Natsu?" she gasped, pushing through the gathering smoke furiously. She disappeared into the smog and after a few seconds, there was a loud thump. Gray started forward, but just then, Natsu walked out of the smoke, completely unharmed except for a few torn and burning holes in his clothes, and carrying his mother bridal style.<br>He picked at the slightly smoldering edges of his precious scarf and the temperature in the room increased by ten decrease instantly.  
>"Someone's getting an ass beating." He growled, crushing the smoldering remains of the device to dust in his hand.<br>Suddenly, the entire building began to shake relentlessly and, caught off guard, everyone fell to the ground, shocked.  
>"What was-" Grandine began, but before she could finish speaking, there was a loud crash above them and then something fell straight through the ceiling, landing in a smoldering heap of debris and dust in the middle of the room.<br>Coughing, Natsu warily cleared the air with one arm, moving towards the crash site. What he saw caused a shock that could be felt throughout the entire room.  
>"Lucy?!"<br>**(So, how am I doing so far?) **

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><p>"<em>In French, you don't say "I miss you". Instead, you say "tu me manques", which means "you are missing from me". I love that."<em>

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><p>"Lucy?!" Came a shout from behind her.<br>Said blonde, still furious and deadly, released both Sting and Rouge from their hopeless position under her and swung around, launching herself at the person that had spoken faster then humanly possible. She viciously wrapped a hand around their neck and squeezed mercilessly, which had the added benefit of shoving her victim even deeper into the wall.  
>"Luce..." the person muttered, raising their hands to grip her own. But instead of struggling, they cupped her hands tenderly, tracing small circles into her palm.<br>With a gasp, she removed her hands, letting the person fall to the ground and willing all of her new-found power to leave her body as she dropped to her knees next to the boy.  
>"Natsu?!" she asked, bewildered, as she hesitantly reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. To her mild shock and extreme pleasure, the skin beneath her was solid and warm and not at all intangible.<br>"Lucy, I can't believe that your here!" he shouted, completely ignoring the fact that she had almost killed him just a few seconds ago in favor of bringing her closer and kissing her.  
>Caught of guard for only a moment, Lucy quickly began kissing back, reaching around and digging her hands into Natsu's thick pink hair. Slightly surprised that she was kissing back, Natsu wasted no time, licking her bottom lip slowly and placing one hand on her cheek and the other on her waist. Lucy smiled and opened her mouth slightly, allowing Natsu too.<br>"Ahem." came someone from behind them. With a jolt, the two jumped away from each other, blushing not only from embarrassment but from what they had just been doing. And yet, Lucy still chose to sit in Natsu's lap. "If you too aren't to busy, maybe you could help us out over here?" Grandine said sarcastically, gesturing to the scene behind her.  
>While Natsu and Lucy had been busy kissing, a swarm of palace guards had entered the room and were now fighting Sting and Rouge with the help of Gray, who was pretty pissed and wanted something to take his pent up anger out on. Lucy had beat them pretty badly, but they still had some fight in them. So far, the guards had managed to bind one of Sting's arms to his side and Rouge now had both legs chained together rather awkwardly.<br>"No problem." Natsu proclaimed, standing up before offering Lucy his hand as well, which she took instantly, "I swore someone was getting an ass kicking for that bomb, and I meant it."  
>"Bomb? What bomb?" Lucy asked, more curious then worried.<br>"Don't worry about it!" Natsu shouted with a grin before launching himself at Sting.  
>With a happy sigh, Lucy dropped her fighting stance and turned to Grandine. "I really don't need to help, do I?"<br>The queen laughed and shook her head, "I don't think they would let you even if they were out matched one to a hundred." She walked up to Lucy and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "And one more thing," she leaned in so that her lips brushed against Lucy's ear, "Wendy has agreed to be your flower girl."  
>The rest of the fight was almost impossible to hear over the sound of giggling girls and wedding color schemes (pink and gold obviously) and plans to live on Earth.<br>Lucy couldn't wait.  
>And, as Natsu beat the shit out of Sting for hurting her and the blonde's body flew past her and into the brick wall with enough force to shatter steel, she didn't even blink.<br>She was too happy.

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><p>"<em>We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly."<em>

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><p>"Natsu?" Lucy called into the pitch black room as she opened the door. The pyromaniac, being as childish as he is, has a tendency to always have the lights in the front room on, no matter what. The fact that the whole house was dark just increased her uneasy feeling. "Natsu...?" she tried again, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her, plunging the room into complete darkness. She slipped out of her uncomfortable black pumps before continuing. Honestly, if she had known that being a secretary would involve wearing those unholy things, she would have reconsidered applying. They were especially awful now with all the extra uh... "weight" she had put on lately.<br>Still not receiving a response, Lucy walked over to the kitchen where the light switch was, making her way in the dark only by memory. She placed a hand on the wall and followed it, realizing that she had entered the kitchen because of the difference in flooring.  
>Clumsily, she reached up and flicked on the light switch. The small room was immediately bathed in light, causing her retinas to burn by the sudden ambush of color.<br>"Surprise!" she heard Natsu shout, but before Lucy could open her eyes to yell at him, there was a soft but firm pressure on her lips that caused an instant reaction in her body. All of her anger evaporated and she placed her hands around his neck, dipping them down slightly into his shirt so that she could feel his muscles ripple with every movement. She hummed appreciatively and felt Natsu's body shake with laughter. They probably would have continued on like that for a while and then had sex against the kitchen wall, had it not been for one tiny thing.  
>"Mommy, Daddy, don't! That's gross!" came a small voice beneath them. "The only one okay with it is Auntie Erza, but she doesn't count."<br>With a laugh, the two parents pulled apart at the sound of their oldest child, who was only seven yet still cock-blocking them. Like every other kid on the planet, Nashi had a firm belief that her parents should not have any kind of sexual relationship at took every chance possible to remind them of it. Still, she was so adorable when she pouted. Her face would scrunch up and her huge onyx eyes would be almost completely hidden depending on how upset she was. Sometimes, she would even use her pink hair to cover her eyes if Natsu and Lucy were being especially embarrassing.  
>"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize that you were there sweetie." Lucy cooed, reaching down and picking the little girl up and into her arms. She rested Nashi against her hip and using a strand of her long hair to tickle her nose, causing the girl to giggle and wrap the strand around her finger. "If you're here, then where is Igneel and Layla?" she asked, the question aimed more towards Natsu then her daughter.<br>As if on cue, the fraternal twins both jumped out from behind the counter, running up to Lucy and wrapping their little arms around her legs.  
>"There you two are!" she exclaimed, handing Nashi to her idolized father in favor of bending down and hoisting the two four year old's into the air. Layla giggled and clung to her mother. She was the younger of the twins by sixty-nine seconds. She had inherited nearly every trait from Lucy, including her blonde hair and brown eyes, thus earning her the name of the grandmother she would never meet. On the other hand, Igneel got the best traits from both parents. Fitting, considering that he was technically the middle child. He had his father's pink hair and sense of loyalty, but the eyes and intelligence of his mother.<br>With a humorous twinkle in his eyes, Natsu bumped Lucy's waist, gesturing with his head for her to follow him back into the living room. "Don't you want to see the real surprise?" he teased. Rolling her eyes but smiling, she followed her husband into, placing the twins on the floor as he put down Nashi.  
>The three giggling kids ran into the living room, darting around their parents legs in order to beat them there. When Lucy did enter the room, she was suddenly glad that she had put down the kids, because she surely would have dropped them at the sight of what awaited her.<br>Natsu had always been a cheesy and romantic husband. He was incredibly dotting yet not suffocating, and every year, for their wedding anniversary, he out did himself in terms of effort and cheesyness.  
>Today was no exception.<br>The entire living room had been remodeled. It was the same basic layout, but the floor and walls had been redone with the wall paper and carpet she had been eyeing for weeks. The couches, which had become worn-down thanks to the kids, had been replaced with brand new ones in a soft white leather. The wooden coffee table had been replaced with a glass one and the T.V. had been polished and mounted on the wall. That was just the new stuff. The cheesy part was that Natsu had spread rose petals all over the room and had used his fire magic to lite enough candles instantly, making the atmosphere in the room romantic but not dark or gloomy. He had even set out two wine glasses and her favorite brand of red wine. Above the T.V., he had hung a hand made sign that read; _Happy Anniversary, Lucy!_ in her favorite shade of pink with lavender accents.  
>She didn't even notice that the kids had disappeared into their rooms.<br>"Natsu..." Lucy breathed, walking forward and carefully picking a rose petal off the new couch as if any movement not done slowly would cause the entire room to evaporate.  
>Natsu walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Happy anniversary. Do you like it?" he breathed into her ear. Dumbstruck, Lucy just nodded. "I'm glad." he said, turning her around and kissing her gently. As they kissed, Lucy absentmindedly placed a hand on her slightly swollen stomach.<br>She would tell Natsu about Luke later.  
>For now, they had a new couch to break in.<p>

_~~FIN~~_

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><p>"<em>Once, in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale."<em>

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><p><strong>Look, I finished!<br>This calls for a party!  
>However, since this is the interweb and some of you probably live over seas, I will settle for your awesome comments to this long-awaited chapter. *claps slowly* I took so long with this, I bet that some of you even forgot about me and even moved on to other animes. Seriously, I checked. I haven't touched this story in over three months! Hopefully, this will make you forgive me: *places awesome cake on the counter for readers to enjoy*<br>I really hate my mom. No reason why I mention it but damn, most days I just can't wait for her to leave the house.  
>As a side note, did any of you notice the significance of how many exclamation marks I used? Points if any of you know!<strong>


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